lRoj;tMrgl)e BallaUS.
FRONTISPIECE TO VOL. VII.
THE EXECUTION OF KING CHARLES I.
[In fac-simile, from a Conieniporary, Broadside : see p. 624.]
" With my own power my Majesty they wound,
In the King's name the King himself's uncrown'd:
So doth the Dust destroy the Diamond." — Charles I, p. 620.
That thence the Royal Actor borne,
The tragic scaffold might adorn,
While 'round the armed bands
Did clap their bloody hands :
He nothing common did, or mean,
Upon that memorable scene,
But with his keener eye
The axe's edge did try ;
Nor call'd the Gods, with vulgar spite,
To vindicate his helpless right :
But bowed his comely head,
Down, as upon a bed." — [Marvel's Ode, p. 61S.)
■p
Bflltwatmg tge last gcarg of tge £>tuart0*
EDITED,
WITH SPECIAL INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES,
BY
J. WOODFALL EBSWORTH, M.A., Cantab., F.S.A.
Author of ' Karl's Legacy,' 1868, and ' Cavalier Lyrics,' 1888 ;
Editor of four reprinted ' Drolleries ' of the Restoration ;
of 'The Bagford Ballads' and 'Amanda Group of
Bagford Poems ' ; ' The Two Earliest Quartos
of A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1600 ' ;
' The Poems of Thomas Carew,' 1893 ;
etc.
WITH HIS COPIES OF ORIGINAL WOODCUTS.
Croups of QTratics antj Sports, of Cupiti Ballatis, of fHatrimomal
anto 3Cnti=fHatn'mom'aI ; of fKcrrg ^fofontureg, TOiIIofo=Crccn,
3Lo&e's ilHisrijanccs, Complaints, ant) QTom trjc Baylor ;
Nautical, historical, antj Cfjristmas Carols.
Falslaff.—"An I have not Ballads made on you all, and sung to filthy tunes, let a cup
of Sack be my poison."— Henry IV, Part I, ii. 2.
HERTFORD:
Printen for t&e iBaliati ^ocietp,
BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS.
1893.
HERTFORD
PRINTED BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS.
preface to Wol. OT.
" Will had promis'd Ms Sue that this trip, if well ended,
Should coil up his hopes, and he'd anchor on shore ;
"When his pockets were lined, why, his life should be mended,
The laws he had broken he'd never break more ! "
— Will Watch, the bold Smuggler.
l(£sSM$^5k HE completion of this Seventh Volume of Roxlurghe
T^&K^paj Ballads finds us so near the end of our work that we
t) <3m ialt nee(i not hesitate to ask our subscribers and readers to
<§j- aid our final endeavours, so that what remains to be
©S^> done by the Editor and Printers maybe done thoroughly,
and no flaw of incompleteness mar the whole.
The next Part (XXIII) should certainly contain the last
remaining Ninety of the ballads. The General Index to the entire
lloxburghe Collection, as here edited (total of about 5,500 pp. 8vo,
with innumerable Notes on all varieties of historical and social
details), will wind up the long and valuable series. If life remains to
us, nothing but the absence of funds should delay completion.
, In the present volume we give no less than three hundred and
seventy Ballads and Songs, not more than a hundred remain
to be printed — and one-third of a volume will suffice to hold
them. This ought to be ready early in 1894.
Wc can appeal to the Contents of Yolume Seven in justification
of our previous promises, and also to the successful grouping of
the ballads for their mutual illustration : more especially the
bringing into their legitimate connection the various lost ballads,
antecedent and sequels, which had left the original collection
of broadsides so fragmentary. Many that had been utterly lost,
after having once belonged to the Harleian and Pearson Collections
(see p. 571), are here given back to the world, although they
vanished without becoming Boxburghe and Bright property.
With a " Group of Ballads on Trades and Sports " our Vol. VII
begins, and to this succeeds "A Group of Cupid Ballads;" and,
as wedlock extends farther than courtship, a still larger "Group
of Matrimonial Ballads," including many mischances owing to
shrews and perverse womenkind who neglect to obey the seventh
commandment. The Nineteenth Century, with its numerous
Glass-houses, cannot afford to fling stones at the seventeenth
century on the score of public or private scandals. With Ben
Jonson's ' Cock-Lorrell ' Banquet at the Peak of Derbyshire, and
a few other ditties, intervening, we reach (on p. 241) a " Group of
Merry Adventures," such as Osric might pronounce to be ' very
dear to fancy,' and these are followed by some Ballads on the
viii The Contents of this Seventh Volume.
1 Wearing of the green' willow, and others on 'Love's Mischances,'
beside several 'Complaints' and mishaps of Tom the Tailor. "A
Second Group of Nautical Ballads," later in date than those given
in Volume Sixth, is continued far into our third instalment; but
the good, genial Stephen Austin, senior, to whom they were
dedicated, has been lost to us. He joined the great majority
whilst the sheets were passing through the press.
Other deaths have fallen grievously on the Ballad Society, and
we mourn the death of such staunch friends and supporters as
the late Frederick Cousens, F.S.A. ; Brinsley Nicholson, M.D. ;
James Stock Mitchell, Esq. (mentioned affectionately on p. 39),
and that unrivalled student of Scottish Song, John Muir Wood —
whom we last beheld at home in Glasgow, August, 1888.
The remainder of the volume is devoted chiefly to two " Groups
of Historical Ballads," first on Thomas Stukeley, Dick "Whittington,
the Lady Arabella Stewart or Seymour, the early duellists Steward
and Wharton, with Armstrong and Musgrave in rivalry for Lady
Dacre's daughter; and the long- promised Civil War Ballads, few
of which had been hitherto reprinted and attainable. These lead
ns on, by the Escape of Charles II, to the Restoration ditties,
laudation of General Monk, and a few additions to our store
celebrating the last of the crowned Stuarts. The " Second Historical
Group" holds ballads on William and Mary, ending with her death,
after including a goodly array of Maiden Warriors, Female
Drummers, and She-Soldiers, of the approved unsexed pattern,
such as delight a new ' shrieking sisterhood.' Purloining of
other folks' laurels was attempted unblushingly to grace Orange
Queen Mary ; we see also old legends concerning the ' gude-man of
Ballangeich,' King James of Cramond Brig renown (the first King
James of Scotland), served up anew, crambe repetita, bis cocta, as
' lloyal Recreation ; or, King William's Merriment.' All three
Parts are given here : now restored to circulation.
A "Group of Christmas Carols," none hitherto reprinted except
the favourite 'God rest you, merry gentlemen!' forms the
appropriate finale. He must be hard to please, and not one who
'loves a ballad in print, even too well,' who finds our Seventh
Volume distasteful. We propitiate him here with 'Death and the Lady.'
Three or four distinct issues are represented in the Trowbesh Collection, some
adorned with a large woodcut, divided from top to toe by a black line, leaving
half a Skeleton on one side, and half of a richly-robed Lady on the other.
To this seventeenth-century ballad our woodcut, on p. 466, had once belonged.
[The Roxburghe "White -letter reprint is much later than the original Black-letter
broadsides: Exemplar in white-letter preserved by Anthony ii Wood, 417,
fob 129, was printed for /. Beacon ; Douce's, III. 34, has no tune marked;
Douce, IV. 46 (sub-title ' Life and Death contrasted ') is a Pitts Press, Seven-
Dials slip. ' A True and Tragical Song concerning Captain John Bolton,'
beginning "Good Christian people all, both young and old" (Roxb. Coll.,
111. 4513), of dale 1775, to the tune of Fair Lady, lay your costly roots aside.
IX
[Roxburghe Coll., III. 442; Wood, 417, 129: Lincl., 371 ; Douce, Madden.]
£{je <$reat s^eftsenget of e^ottalitp;
<©r, & ©talogue fcetfatrt ©catfj ant) a 3Lafog.
From whence it appears that Death is no Respecter of Persons, either for Birth
or Beauty ; so that, as sure as we are born , we shall certainly die : Therefore
let us prepare ourselves against that Hour and Time, that he may appear as a
welcome Messenger [who] brings glad tidings.
Tune of, Fareivel, my Heart's Delight. [This indicates the first line of 'Two
Faithful Lovers ;' for which see Bagford Ballads, p. 471.]
DEATH. — " T?Air Lady, lay your costly Robes aside !
JJ No longer may you glory in your Pride.
Take leave of all your carnal vain Delight,
For I am come to summon you this night."
L A DY.—" What bold attempt is this ? Pray let me know
From whence you come, and whither I must go,
Shall I who am a Lady yield or bow
To such a pale-faced visage ? Who art thou ? " 8
DEATH. — " Do you not know me ? Well, I'll tell you, then,
' Tis I that conquers all the sons of M en.
No pitch of Honour from my Dart is free,
My name is Death, have you not heard of me?"
LADY. — " Yes, I have heard of thee, time after time.
But being in the glory of my prime,
I did not think thou would' st have come so soon :
Why must my Morning Sun be turn'd to Noon P" 16
DEATH. — "Talk not of noon. Thou may'st as well be mute,
This is no time at all for to dispute.
Your richest jewels, gold, and garments brave,
Your houses, lands, they must new masters have.
Tho' thy vain heart to Riches has inclin'd,
Yet thou, alas ! must leave it all behind. 22
LADY. — " My heart is cold, I tremble at the news,
Here's bags of Gold, if thou wilt me excuse,
And seize on those, thus finish thou the strife,
With such, who are now weary of their life.
Are there not many bound in Prison strong,
In bitter grief of Soul have languish'd long ?
And fain would find a grave, a place of Rest,
From all their griefs, in which they are oppress'd.
Besides, there's many with their hoary head.
And palsied joints, by which their joys are fled,
Release thou them, whose grief and sorrow's great,
And spare my life to have a longer date." 34
DEATH.— " Tho' they with Age are full of grief and pain,
Till their appointed time they must remain.
I come to none before my Warrant's seal'd :
And when it is, they must submit and yield.
I take no Bribe ; believe me it is true,
Prepare yourself to go, I come for you." 40
A Dialogue betwixt Deatli and the Lady.
LADY. — " Deatli be not so severe ! let me obtain
A little longer time to live and reign.
Fain would I stay, if tbou my life would spare,
I have a Daughter beautiful and fair [N.B.
I'd live to see her wed whom I adore,
Grant me but this, and then I ask no more." 46
IJEATH. — " This is a slender frivolous excuse,
I have you fast, and will not let you loose.
Leave her to Providence, for you must go
Along with me, whether you will or no.
I, Death, command great Kings to leave their Crown,
And at my foot they lay their Scepters down.
If not to kings I will this favour give,
But cut them down, can you expect to live
Beyond the limits of your time and space ?
No, I must send you to another place." 56
LADY. — " You learned Doctors now display your skill,
And let not Death of me obtain his will.
Prepare vour cordials, let me comfort find,
My Gold shall fly like chaff before the wind." CO
DEATH.—1' Forbear to call, their skill will never do,
They are but Mortals here as well as you ;
1 give the fatal wound, my Dart is sure,
"fis tar beyond a doctor's skill to cure.
To purchase life, rather than yield to die,
How freely would you let your silver fly ;
But while you flourish'd here, all in your store,
You could not spare one penny for the Poor.
In all your pomp, the Poor then you did hate,
And, like rich Dives, scourg'd them from your Gate ;
But tho' you did, those whom you thus did scorn,
They like your self into this world was born.
Tho' for your Alms they both did cringe and bow,
They bore God's Image here as well as you ;
Tho', in his Name, a Suit to you they'd make,
You would not give one penny for his sake.
My Lord beheld wherein you did amiss,
And calls you hence, to give Account for this." 78
LADY. — " 0 heavy News ! must I no longer stav P
How shall I stand, good God, at that great Day? "
Down from her eyes her dying tears did flow,
And said, " There's none knows what I undergo :
Upon a Bed of Sorrow here I lie,
M y carnal life makes me afraid to die,
My sins, alas ! are many, gross, and foul,
But Heaven still have mercy on my Soul !
And tho' I do deserve Thy righteous frown,
Yet pardon, Lord, and pour a Blessing down ! "
Then, with a dying sigh, her heart did break,
And did the Pleasures of the World forsake.
Here you may see the high and mighty fall,
For Death he sheweth no Bespect at all
To any one, if high or low degree,
Great men submit to Death as well as we.
Tho' they are gay, their lives are but a span,
A Lump of Clay : so poor a creature's Man. 96
Newcastle-upon-Tyne : Printed and sold by John White.
Of the published Ballads no longer extant. xi
We need not linger to specify the many ballads here brought
back to the knowledge of students, after having been utterly
lost or forgotten for more than a couple of centuries ; drawn from
obscure manuscripts or unique broadsides, hitherto hidden apart.
These additions are in general sequels or antecedents, gathered
elsewhere. It has been a labour of love, to make this work as
complete as possible, remembering its enormous bulk and the
complexity of its original mis-arrangements.
So much of early ballad wealth was destroyed amid the confusion
of the civil war time (and political excitement is always subversive
of the lighter graces and tenderness in literature), that it is only
after the Restoration in 1660 — or after the Great Fire in 1666, that
Ave retain the greater number of published broadside ballads. Of
earlier times the entries in the Registers of the Stationers'
Company reveal a terrible percentage of absolute loss. Yet even
these lists were never so efficiently made as to include more than
a fraction of the ballads written and printed. We do not despair
of recovering more of these, success having emboldened us. Many
early ballads remain hidden amid the packets of uncatalogued
documents in private collections (we print one on p. 825) ; although
far more of them perished during the Civil-Wars. They had been
duly licensed and printed, their date and title recorded in the
Registers of the Stationers'1 Company, before the Long- Parliament
sat. Some few are found, copied in old MSS. All were in danger
of dispersal or destruction by ignorant servants or executors,
besides the ordinary mischances of flood and fire. Many of the
strayed lambkins we shelter. Of the other lost-muttons their
titles were suggestive. Francis Coles, on June 28, 1624, printed
certain ballads, ' More Sauce than Pig ;' 'Oatmeal Ho !' and ' Peept
Into.' John Wright in 1632, published ' Foote it, Madam !'
Hitherto lost, but entered by first line in the Stationers' Company Kegisters,
as already old and transfer property, 14 December, 1624, now recovered in MS.
is ' A right excellent and godly new Ballad, she wing e the uncertainetye of this
presente lyfe, the vanitye of the alluring world, and the unspeakable joyes of
heaven prepared for those that unfainedly beleeve in the Lord Jesus. To the
Tune of Wtgmore's Galliard.'' Eighteen stanzas, this one being the first : —
" All carefull Christians marke my song,
Consider Death must ende our dayes,
This earthly lyfe it is not long,
And Christ shall come to judge our wayes.
The glass doth run, the clock doth go,
Awake from synne : why sleepe ye so .? "
Where, except in the muniment room of Nirgend's College, or amid
the Trowbesh MSS., can we look for (let us say) such a ballad
as was entered to Symon Stafford, on 22 Septembris, 1606, thus : —
xii The Lost Ballads and Songs of 1606.
"An Answere to a fond lascivious Songe, intituled, 'And arte thou
comme againe, and said'st tho'tdd come no more?'" Can it be this?
Host Labour:
MEttlj Pipe anU Ezbax.
I.
*' AND a?'t thou come again,
And said thou would' si come no more ?"
Thou to be free ivert fain ?
No freedom can one gain,
Thus lingering at her door :
Stay not, thou silly sivain,
Wreck' d on the Syren's shore.
II.
Sweet mockery tuned her strain,
Her songs no blessing bore ;
Bavildcring heart and brain,
They left a scar and stain,
On memory evermore :
Yet art thou come again,
And said, " I come no more ! "
III.
Love binds thee with her chain,
That very chain I wore,
Who ivarn thee back in vain,
Knotving the hopeless pain ;
Thy fate was mine before :
To come again, again !
Yet say, " We come no more."
Trowbesh von Nirgends.
Sweeter are the rinsings of the older Vine-press than the ' small acid tiff ' of
the unripened modern grapes, lately in fashion. Now here is a genuine Song
(recovered from Shirbuin MS., fol. 140 verso, and 141 recto, by our generous
friend and helper, the Rev. Andrew Clark, M.A., Fellow of Lincoln College,
Oxford, the learned editor of ' Life and Times of Ant/tony Wood,'' 1891-94, see
]). 8.4). It fitly accompanies our editorial ditty, and might have been sang by
the Syren therein mentioned. It is this English Lorelai nymph who sings —
'Wilt thou begone, my Deare .''
Recovered Ballad of 1G06. xiii
milt tfjou &e gone, mp Deare:5
To the Tune of, Sweete Gardiner.
AND wilt thou, my Deare, be gone ?*
And wilt thou no longer reniaine ?
Farewell, I can live alone,
Tby company I can refraine.
If it be your favour
Thus for to waver,
Goe, goe !
And never come to me againe.
I scorne for thy love to sue,
My thoughts do detest the same ;
I am as well resolved as you,
And as little I doe complaine.
If it be your favour
Thus for to waver,
Goe, goe !
And never come to me againe.
These follyes you will repent,
When dreames have possest your braine,
And in your false armes, discontent,
Yow will wish me, your lover, againe ;
But when your lypps misses
My wonted kisses,
Ton know, [caret.
Fain would you come to me againe.
Then kisse me, nor clasp niee no more,
Nor coll mee, nor court me in vaiue ;
You might this have knowne, before,
To have kist mee, and with me have laine.
But now, adue,
An' when it please you :
Soe goe !
And never come to me againe.
iFifttg. [Author unknown ; of date circa 1606.]
* MS. mis-reads, "And wilt thou be gone, my deare ? " losing the rhyme.
In a Rawl. MS., that had once belonged to Dorothy Halford, is held 'A Prety
Song to ye tune of, Legoranto ' (query, Le Coranto ?) : —
^Hose passions here which I professe,
Good Sir, requires great cost.
I pray you make not so much haste,
Lest that your love be lost.
When Summer is going, then Winter is coming a-pace.
I you advise, if you be wise
In tynie to stay your chase." [Ten stanzas follow.
In the same MS., solely, is preserved that identical ballad of 'England's
Triumph,' which had been entered to John Danter in Stationers' Registers,
20 Novembris, 1595, viz. : —
A proper new ballade, wherein is plaine to be seene
How God blesseth England for love of our Queene.
rp]
xiv Other Ballad-texts regained from MSS.
Sung to the Tune of Tarletorf s Carroll.
"8
iONDON, London, singe and praise thy Lord,
Let England's Joy be seene ;
Trew subjects quickly show, with one accorde,
Your love unto your Queene,
Elizabeth so brave :
Whose vertues rare beseeme her well,
From all the world she bears the bell,
Her due deserts no tongue can tell,
Herselfe she doth behave
That all the world doth marvell much
How Nature should frame anie such.
Of vice none lyving can her touch. [Nine twelve-line stanzas.
Mistress Dorothy Halford may have been as fair as "Waller's Dorothy Sidney
(' Sacharissa') or more lovable than the later Dorothy Osborne. She was not
so prudish as to reject from her manuscript either of the two jocular ditties,
Mother Wat kin's Ale or The Carman's Whistle, preserving thus distinct early
versions of each. They differ from the 16th century (before 1592), B.-L. broad-
side of ' A Ditty Delightful of Mother Watkin! s Ale, A Warning well weigh'd,
though counted a tale,' which begins, lengthily, " There was a maid this other
day, and she would needs go forth to play ; and as she walk'd she sith'd [ = sigh'd]
and said 'I am afraid to die a mayd.'" The Kawl. MS. 185, fol. 14, holds
six sixteen-line stanzas, beginning thus : —
AS Watkin walked by the way,
He met a Lass, and made her stay,
" Faire maide," quoth he, " Go you with me,
And Watkin's Ale I will give thee."
She did not him deuie, but went forth merrily,
And thank' d him heartily, for his good merry tale.
Watkin, perceiving then, that she did love a man,
With pleasant talk began to walk along the dale.
She stept aside then out of sigbt,
(What they did more let Venus right,) [text, ' Wrigh.'
But as it seemed a pretty tale, he gave her well of Watkin'' s Ale.
Of the sixteenth-century Black-letter broadside a unique exemplar was formerly
preserved. It came into the hands of George Daniel, of 18, Cauonbury Square;
and by auction-sale, in 1864, into those of the late Henry Huth, who gave the
full text to the l'liilobiblon Society, in 1867. It is the liveliest ditty in his
Collection of Seventy-nine '■Ancient Ballads,'' which contains also ' The Faire
Widow of Watling- Street ' (see our p. 826), with which we begin Vol. VIII.
The other (fol. 21) is 'A Pleasant new Sonnge called ' The Carman's Whistle ; '
to the tune of, '0 Neighbor lioberle.' Thirteen eight-line stanzas.
IN a pleasant morninge, in the merrie month of May,
Amounge the frutefull meddowes a young man took his way.
And gazing rounde about him, what pleasures he could see,
He spied a proper maiden, under an Oaken tree.
Comely was her countenance, and lovely was her lookes,
Seeming that wanton Venus had writ her in her bookes ;
Many a smirking smile she lent, amidst those meddowes greene,
The which he well perceived, yet was of her unseen. Etc.
What we promise for the Final Part. xv
This is probably the original, certainly a much earlier version than the
common B.-L. broadside, printed for W. Onley, entitled, ' The Courteous Carman
and the Amorous Maid ; or, the Carman's Whistle,' which begins : —
" As I abroad was walking, by the breaking of the day,
Into a pleasant meadow, a young man took his way,
And looking round about him, to mark what he could see,
At length lie spied a fair Maid, under a myrtle-tree." Etc.
(Oddly enough, these two ballads conjointly in the same MS. were also name*!
together by one T.N. in a letter to Anthony Munday, prefixed to Gerileon of
^England, 1592 — " I should hardly be persuaded that one professor of so
excellent a science [as printing] would be so impudent to print such ribauldrie
as JFatJciu's Ale, The Carman'' s Whistle, and sundry such others." Evidently this
Tom Noddy's bear refused to dance to any but the very genteelest of tunes;
although Wafer parted and the Minuet in Ariadne were still in futuro.)
Enough said, as to manuscript copies of old ballads having been hidden from
view, but not wholly lost. Every fresh discovery aids the work ; the interchange of
tune-names also had hitherto caused confusion, and slovenly ignorance had been
rampant, suiting well enough a slovenly auditory of critics and public. " Beefy
face and grubby hand ! Law, what can they understand." Not to them we appeal.
" Good wine needs no bush" hung outside the door, our ancestors
declared, but in these days of expensive advertising and be-puffety
our modest Editorial venture, long continued, has suffered grievously
by lack of funds, from the total absence of any means to make it
known : except the warm appreciative laudation so kindly given,
from time to time, in the Athenceum and Notes and Queries. Few
of the established subscribers became weary, although some neglected
promptitude and regularity of payment. Alas ! it has been Death
who has been the most unrelenting foe, mowing down our friends
without mercy. We dare not here chronicle the losses, so many
now fail to answer Adsum to the Roll-Call. Our own turn to
be silent may he near but we strive to complete — in one more
Part — these Roxlurghe Ballads.
"The Third Group of Nautical Ballads," concluding them, will be
found rich in memorials of our naval victories under Admirals
Vernon, Matthews, and Keppel ; with Lord Belhaven's disastrous
voyage, and sundry pirates or misadventurers, Captain Green,
Captain Glen, and the renowned Paul Jones of 1779. Of executions
we have five ballads, including Mistress Arden of Faversham, 1606,
Luke Hutton, 1595, George Barnwell, before 1624, William
Grismond, and George Saunders : mild hangings, not beheadings.
There are also 'Warnings' and 'Strange Events'; a "Group
of Romantic Ballads," and the conclusion of our ' Beligious Group.'
A few lively ditties on the rogueries of millers, the annoyances
given by mothers-in-law, and broad humour of cockney-Scotch
dialect; a short "Group of Queen Anne's Reign," and a still
smaller one of ' Robin Hood Ballads,' with the few ' Sempill
Ballads ' belonging to our Collection, will furnish sufficient variety.
xvi Editorial Promises and Forewarning^.
The opportunity may be used to add a few necessary Appendix
Notes to Vols. I and II to supply omissions and late discoveries
to the entire work. Without a full Index it would be shorn of
half its value. We have not delayed the numerous Civil War and
Commonwealth Ballads, belonging to the Iioxburghe and Bagford
Collections, beyond this Volume Seven (see p. 611). We secure
them at once, here, although this makes the extra Part XXIII
indispensable, to complete the series.
We are in sight of Victory, and fearlessly make this last
Voyage. Have we not .1 willing crew who trust us to the end?
That end -ought not to be long delayed, life being so uncertain,
therefore we desire to press onward. (See Finale on p. 817.)
We are unwilling to abandon the ship and leave it derelict, or
to let any pickarooning pirate run us down to Davy Jones's
Locker. There is, however, something of evil omen in a foretold
'last vovage;' like the one in our motto from Thomas Cory's
' Will Watch the bold smuggler ' of 1 806 ' Hospitality: With
Hamlet, ' we defy augury : There is special providence in the
fall of a sparrow.'
&tif atoning*
T^RIEND, why shrink from what lies before us ?
Since all is well, tho' the end draw near.
Lonely the path winds, silenced the chorus,
Darker the sky and the woodland sere.
Need the far distance so much affright thee :
Hast thou not quaff' d of rapture thy share?
Here, the feast palls, no more to delight thee;
Why should zve dread what is waiting there ?
Few are the Guests ivho with thirst unsated
Drain the last drops fro m their cup of foy ;
Many sped hence, early-call' d or belated,
Glad to depart ere the banquet cloy.
Fresh as of yore smiles Nature, caressing ;
Of our men alone the neiv ways repell :
Death surely bringeth Life s choicest blessing,
Sweetest ofivelcomes, our funeral-knell.
Joseph Woodfall Ebsworth.
Molash Priory, Ashford, Kent, 1893.
xvn
*#* Note on a iaoobcut, tTje ' Strange Banquet/
for p. 220.
INAPPROPRIATE though it had been for ' The Devil's Entertainment by
Cock Laurel, at the Peak of Derbyshire,' 1621, the woodcut shows 'A Strange
Banquet,' for 1637, since all the men wear their blue-bonnets or steeple-crowned
beavers while clustered around the crowned king who holds a bag of money.
It was used also for a broadside reprint of ' The Story of 111 May-day,' re-
presenting Prentices with Charles I, instead of Henry VIII. The ballad begins —
" Peruse the story of this Land, and with aduisement note the same,
And you shall iustly vnderstand how 111 May-day first got the name.
For when King Henry Eight did raigne, and rulde our famous kingdome here,
His royall Queene he had from Spain, with whome he lived full many a yere.
" Queene Katherine, as our stories tell, sometime had been his brother's wife,
By which vnlawfull marriage fell an endlesse trouble during life." Etc.
' 111 May-day,' 1.517, reappeared among the ' Broadside Black-letter Hal 'ads,'
(privately reprinted in 1868, by the late John Payne Collier, F.S.A.), with a
fac-simile of a debased copy of the woodcut, and a supplementary half-stanza,
supposed to refer to King Charles I (here italicized and square-bracketted) : —
" So now hencefoorth we need tofeare no such mishap as they [Prentices'] did bring,
But peace and order euerie where, and loyal harts vnto ovr King."
He asserted, " No doubt, when the broadside first came out Queen Elizabeth
was reigning, and was celebrated at the close; this portion was omitted in 1607,
because King James was then on the throne ; but when [Thomas'] Gosson reprinted
the ballad, about 1630 or 1640, he made the conclusion complimentary to
Charles I. No copy is known which contains the tribute to Elizabeth, and
which must have appeared about 1597 or 1598." But dear old J. P. C. mistook
xviii Additional Note ox 'Earl of Essex's last Good-Night.'
this matter. 1st. His broadside is lost from view, not traceable. 2nd. It was
stated to boar the colophon, ' Printed for Thomas Gosson;' but Thomas died in
1614, seven years after the ballad had appeared iu the 1G07 edition of Strangle
Histories (without the supplementary hall-stanza), and fourteen before Charles I
came to the throne. 3rd. His May-day woodcut is a grossly-debased copy of
the better one here engraved : how could the May-day copy precede the original ?
4th. The costumes are of a later date than 16*14 ; they belong to the time <.f
Charles, whose portrait is indicated, not James I. 5th. Disproving the possibility
of any issue dining Elizabeth's reign, the tune is marked, ' Essex's lust Good-
night;' viz., the ballad, "All you that cry 0 hone! 0 hone!'1'' (reprinted in
vol. i, p. 571), which was not registered to Margaret Allde for publication until
18th May, 1603: two months after the death of Elizabeth.
An earlier name for the Essex Good-night tune had been The King's last Good-
night. It is thus cited iu a contemporary MS. version of the already-mentiontd
0 hone ! 0 hone ! ' Lamentable new ballad upon ye Earle of Essex's death :
11 All you that crye 0 hone ! 0 hone ! come now and sing ' 0 Lord with me.'
For whv '■! our Jewell is from us gone, the valiant Knight of chivalrye,
Of rich and poor beloved was he, iu tyme an honorable Knight,
Who by our laws condemn'd was he, And late did take his last Good-nighty
' Essex's last Good-Night ' lay hidden till Elizabeth died. Honore de Balzac, in
his Contcs Drolatiques, calls her "the worst of devils, id est, a wicked old
heretic woman — to keep prisoner sweet Mary of Scotland; to the shame of all
the knights in Christendom, who should have come without previous assignation
to the foot of Fotheringay, and have left thereof no single stone." There
could scarcely' be any intended laudation of Queen Bess, in the ballad of ' III
May-Day,' because it records the clemency of good Queen Katherine, who was
displaced for the wanton Ann Boleyn, Elizabeth's own mother.
Few men except good Catholics ventured to speak plainly on such political
scandals. In Elizabeth's praise, 1601, was written and probably printed (hitherto
lost, except in Shirburn MS., fol. 184), fourteen stanzas : ' A pleasant new ballad
of the most blessed and prosperous raigne of her Majestye, for the space of two
and fortye yeeres, and now entering into the three and fortieth, to the great joy
and comfort of all her Mafjesty's] faythfull subjects.' To the tune of, The
Queene's Hunt is up (see Popular Music, pp. 60, 62).
" T)ING- out your bell's ! 0 what should you doe else ?
J t Strike up your drums for joy !
The noblest Queene, that ever was seene.
In England doth raigne this day.
The noblest Queene that ever tvas seen,
In Eugland doth raigne this dag."
Probably soon after April, 1599, had been already extolled the Earl of
Essex's apocryphal Triumphs in Ireland ; but troubles followed his unfortunate
compromise with Tyrone, speedily punished by his own downfall. See p. 824,
in Appendix: " Of joyful triumphs I must speak."
Another manuscript ditty, recording Sir Charles Blount's victory in that
'distressful! country,' entitled, ' A joyfull new Ballad of the late Victorye obtained
by my Lord Mount Jot/ and our ma.'s forces in Ireland, against that arch-traytor
Tirone and his confederals, upon the 24 of December last [1 601]. Also the yielding
of the Towne of Kingsale, with three or four other houldes by Don Jhon at
Aquila, Generall of the Spanish army, which was yeelded up the 9 of January
last, 1602. To the tune of, Fortune my foe. Thirty-two four-line stanzas
Trowbesh MSS.. transcript of Shirburn MS., fol. 156 verso.
Additional Note on retrieved 'Religious Ballads' xix
" ENGLAND, give prayse unto the Lord thy God,
The which in mercy doth withold his rod,
From us whose synnes deserved have the same,
Yet we continue, iSWow-like, past shame.
From us whose sinnes deserved have the same, etc.
" 0 let us now returne unto the Lord,
And to his prayse singe Psalmes with one accord,
"Which hath defended little England's right,
From forraine foes, their cruelty and might."
It ends with this stanza : —
" To God [give praise, for He] doth still defende, ["Hurt by damp,
Lord on this [people still] thy blessing sende ! L illegible.
Preserve our Queen, her Counsayle grave and wise :
Confound her foes, that doth the truth despise."
These lugubrious pseudo -religious triumphant songs were nearly as doleful as
Laments and Warnings. This one had been sung to the proverbial ' hanging-
tune,' Fortune my foe (see p . 694, and Popular Music, p. 162). The land was
poisoned with puritanism which speedily was to bring forth natural results in
rebellion and intolerant sectarianism, under hypocritical disguise of pious
humility and self-absorbtion. To such people were commended ' The Pittyful
Lamentation of a Damned Soule,' eighteen stanzas, (Shirburn MS., fol. 222),
with premonitions extracted from the noble Book of Wisdom : —
" Inquisition shall be made for the thoughts of the Ungodly, and the sound of
his words shall come unto God for the correction of his iniquyties." — Sag., I, v. 9.
" But the soules of the Righteous are in the hands of God, and no torment shall
touch them. In the sight of the unwise they appeared to dye, and their end was
thought grievous, aud their departing also as a destruction: but they are in
peace." — Sag., Ill, v. 1.
"A SI walked forth in a morning-tyde,
XX I heard a voyce which bade me abyde,
And ever me -thought to me it cryde,
' Alas for ivoe that I did not repent !
For I am dampned [sic] by God' s just judgment.' "
Hitherto lost, but now recovered (after it had been registered as a transfer
on 14 December, 1624), was this genuine set of ' Bellman's verses,' viz.
' The Bel-man's Good-morrow which in our ears doth ring,
How we must be prepared for Christ, our heavenly King.'
To the tune of, Awake, awake, 0 England [for which see Vol. IV. p. 468 ; the
same tune as 0 man in desperation, p. 796 of present Vol.].
" T^Rom sluggish sleep and slumber, good Christians, all arise !
_C For Christ's sake, I praye you, lyft up your drowsye eyes,
The night of shame and sorrowe is parted cleane awaye ;
God give you all Good-morrowe and send you happye daye ! "
This lively ditty suited the Christmas-time, for those who had not learnt to
" Quarrel with mince- pies and disparage
Their best and dearest friend, Plum-porridge."
XX
Religious Ballads sung to Amatory ' Dance-tunes
Occasionally the pietistic reverted to profane jigs and sarabands or galliards.
Thus (entered by its first line in Stationers' Registers, on 14th December, 1624,
and mistakenly deemed irrecoverable), there was 'Aright excellent and godly new
Ballade, shewinge the vncertainetye of this present lyfe, the vanitye of the alluring
world, and the vnspcakable joyes of heaven prepared for those that vnfainedly
beleeue in thu Lord Jesus. To the Tune of, Wigmore's Galliarde.'
" A LI carefnll Christians, marke my song,
XX Consider death must ende my dayes ;
This earthly lyfe it is not long,
And Christ shall come to judge our wayes
The glasse doth run, the clock doth go,
Awake from synne ! Why shepe ye so ?"
Another adopted the pretty tune of Dainty, 0 come thou to mc ! (cf. p. 582),
to a religious ballad of 13 stanzas : — ' The sinner despisinge the world and all
earthly vanities, repoceth Ids whole confidence in his beloved Saviour, Jesus Christ.'
' ' TESU, my loveinge spouse, eternall Yeritye !
U Perfect Guide vnto my soule ; Way to Eternity.
Strengthen me with thy grace ! From thee I'll never flee,
Let them saye what thgy will ; Jesu, come thou to mee ! "
Lastly, we may mention one more of fifteen stanzas, entitled ' A Proper new
ballad, devised upon the theame I knoiv not what; wherein is showed how men
ought not to set their mindes on wTorldly pleasure, but on the Lyving Lord,' 1614.
To the Tune of, Labandalashot : —
" TTTHo views the lyfe of mortall man,
VV His state and whereof he began,
Shall find such huge[ous] heapes of woe,
As neither tongue nor pen can showe.
Wherewith our minds may daunted be
From usinge wordly mirth and glee,
And move us to consider well
What paines there are prepared in hell
For wicked people, as their lot,
Which have done here they know not w7iat."
This tune, Labandalashot, had been used in Dec. 1586, for ' The Lamentation
of Beckles in Suffolk,' =" My loving good neighbours" (Huth's Philobiblon
Ballads); and ten years earlier for George Mannington's Lament, 1576 "I
wailein woe, I plunge in pain," {JIandefull of Pleasant Delites ; and Ilitson's ., tncit n t
Songs). Also for the Garland of Goodwill • Song of King Edgar,' beginning : —
" When as King Edgar did govern this land,
Adown, adown, down, duivn, down,
And in the strength of his years he did stand,
Call him adown -a.1'
The burden quoted by Ophelia (Ham!et,iv. 5), and Dame Quickly {Merry Wives, iA )
XXI
{These belong to ' The Organ's Echo,'' p. 612 : Tune, p. 660.]
CONTENTS OF VOL. VII.
PREFACE TO VOL. VII. .
Dialogue betwixt Death and the Lady-
Lost Labour, with Pipe and Tabor (Trowbesh)
" Wilt thou be gone my Dear ? " .
Questioning : "Friend, why shrink," etc. .
Note on woodcut of ' Strange Banquet' for p. 220
Editorial Preface to Part XX (1890) .
The Lancashire Lovers : Thomas and Betty .
Toby's Delight; or, An Encouragement, etc.
Addenda et Corrigenda: "We who need," etc. (see p. 817)
Laborare est Orare : " My heart felt sore, Mercer Adam "
To Joseph Knight, F.S.A. (Bcdieatorg Acrostic Sonnet)
The Tradesman's Complaiut upon the Hardness of the Times
The Clothier's Delight ; or, The Rich Men's Joy, etc.
The Poet's Dream ; against Bailiffs and their Dogs .
' Sawuey was tall, and of noble race.' By Tom D'Urfey
Jenny's Answer to Sawney; or, The Inconstant Lover Despised
A True Character of Sundry Trades and Callings
The Naked Truth ; or, A New Song without a Lye
Invincible Pride of Women ; The London Tradesman's Lament
The West-Country Weaver, his Sorrowful Lamentation
Song in Praise of The Bonny Milkmaid. By Tom D'Urfey
The Innocent Country-Maid's Delight. (See Reply, p. 238.)
The Happy Husband-man ; or, Country Innocence .
Huntington-shire Plow-man ; or, the Plowman's Complaint
The Shoemaker's Delight ; or, a New Dialogue
The Gentle Craft's Complaint ; or, Shoe-maker's Petition
PAGE
vii
ix
xii
xiii
xvi
xvii
vii*
ix*
xi*
XVI"
1
3
4
7
11
14
15
17
19
20
22
25
27
29
31
33
XX11
CONTENTS.
PAGE
The Honest Tradesman's Honour Vindicated, etc. . . 37
A May-Day Remembrance of Cornwall. (Troiubesh MS.) . 39
A Very Godly Song, Petition of the Clerk of Bodnam . 40
Fancy's Phoenix ; or, The Peerless Paragon of the Tiroes . 42
Fancy's Favourite ; or, The Mirror of the Times. By C.H. 44
The Sorrowful Lamentation of the Pedlars and petty Chapmen 46
A Pleasant New Song : ' My Life and my Death' . .48
An Answer to it, by Tom D'Urfey : Love Unblinded . . Ibid.
The Jovial Pedlar ; or, A Merry New Ditty . . .49
The Proud Pedlar : • So merrily singeth the Nightingale ' . 51
The St. Giles's Broker, buying a Green Goose . . 52
News from More-Lane : a Frolic of a Tapster with a Colt . 55
The Cries of London (a.d. 1747-1759) . . .57
The Three "Worthy Butchers of the North. By Paul Burges. 59
A New Ballad of the Three Merry Butchers . . .62
Some Luck, Some Wit : Mary Carleton, the German Princess 64
(For ' Carleton's Epithalamium,' seep. 230 post.)
A Lamentable Ditty on the Death of George Stoole . .68
The Life and Death of George of Oxford ; with his Confession 70
Geordie : the earliest-known printed Scots version . . 72
Boom for a Jovial Tinker : Old Brass to Mend . . 74
Tbe Old Pudding-pye Woman, set forth in her Colours . 77
The Ragman. By John Lookes . . . -78
The May-Day Country Mirth. . . . .79
'Joan to the May-Pole' : or iginal, 1630 . . -81
The Boyal Becreation of Jovial Anglers . . .82
The Virgin Pace ; or, Yorkshire's Glory . . .84
A New Song, on Eclipse, his foot-race at Drax, Yorkshire . 85
The Hunting of the Hare . . . .87
Princely Diversion : The Trusley Hare-Hunting Song . 91
A New Hunting Song, A Fox-Chace from Craythorne . 93
A New Fox-Hunting Song, the Cleaveland Hounds, 1785 . 95
Editorial JSntr' Acte : ending ' Group of Trades and Sports ' . 96
a ©roup of CupiD ISallaos.
" Cupid, thou art a sluggish Boy !" (1658 : Compare p. 118) . 97
Cupid's Delight; or, The Two Young Lovers broyled in Love 98
Cupid's Wanton Wiles; Friendly Advice. By Laurence Price 100
The Dainty Damsel's Dream ; or, Cupid's Vision. By the same 102
The Maid's Bevenge upon Cupid and Venus. By the same 104
The Kind Mistress (" Long days of Absence") . . 106
The Noble Gallant ; or, Answer to " Long days of Absence " 107
The London Lad's Lamentation to Cupid ("Chloe's face," &c.) 109
A Fairing for Young Men and Maids. By Tobias Bowme . Ill
A Pleasant new song of Two Valentines and their Lovers . 114
No Drawing of Valentines. By Win. Cartwright, 1637. 115
To his Mistress, A Valentine. By Robert Ilerrick, before 1638. Ibid.
CONTENTS.
XXUl
PAGE
The London Lasse's Lamentation; or, Her Fear lest she, etc. 116
The Young Women and Maidens' Lamentation . .117
" Cupid, thou art a wanton boy" (before 1659 : compare p. 97) 1 18
Love's Overthrow (lost fro mKoxb. Coll., II. 576; now retrieved) 119
The Slighted Maid; or, The Pining Lover . . .122
" My lodging upon the cold floor is." (By Hon. J. Howard.) . 124
"Lie still, my babe, lie still, and sleep ! '' (Ibid.) . . Ibid.
Post-Dedication to George Steinman-Steinman, Esq., F.S.A. . Ibid.
a ffiroup of jUatrtmomal Ballads.
Dedicace a M. Alexandre Beljame, Docteur-es-Lettres, etc.,
(Editorial) Andromeda Eediviva, with a Eock Ahead .
(Editorial) Four Conditions of Woman: Madme. et ces Demoiselles
" Jenny is poor, and 1 am poor " .
The Oxfordshire Damosel ; or, The London Merchant's Choice
A Week's Loving, Wooing, and Wedding; or, Happy is the
Wooing that is not long a Dooing
" I married my wife on a Sunday," etc.
A Match at a Venture ; or, Time and Opportunity won the Day
The more Haste, the worse Speed; or, the Maid's Complaint
The Virtuous Maid's Resolution ; or, The Two Honest Lovers
Wonderful Praise of a Good Husband ; the Mother's Counsel
A Merry Dialogue, Thomas and John : on Women and Wine
Tobias' Advice ; or, A Remedy for a Ranting Young-man
Tobie's Experience Explain'd (concerning Hostesses)
Tobias' Observation (of a couple at a Pair, Of. Preface, p. xi*
The New AVay of Marriage ; or, John and Kate's Contract
The Kind-hearted Creature ; or, The Prettiest Jest, etc.
Rock the Cradle, John. Ry Laurence Price. {Cut on p. 275)
The Ronny Bryer; or, A Lancashire Lass, etc. By Martin
Parker. (Companion-ballad in 2nd Preface, p. ix*)
The Northern Lass's Lamentation ; or, the Unhappy Maid'
Misfortune. Probably by Martin Parker
The Northern Lad ; or, The Pair Maid's Choice
The Fickle Northern Lass ; or, the Shepherd's Resolution
The True Lover's Victory ; or, The Northern Couple agreed
The Trappan'd Virgin ; or, Good Advice to Maidens . _
A Young Man put to his Shifts ; or, Ranting Resolution
The Patient Husband and the Scolding Wife.
The Woman to the Plough, and the Man to the Hen-roost
Probably by Martin Parker
My Wife will be my Master ; Married Man's Complaint
The Woman Outwitted ; or, The Weaver's Wife in a Trap
" What hap had I to marry a Shrow ! " — From Pammdia, 1609
The Scolding Wife . . . •
The Scolding Wife's Vindication ; or, An Answer, etc.
The New German Doctor; A Cure for a Scolding Wife
125
126
128
129
134
136
137
138
141
144
147
149
151
153
155
158
160
162
165
168
171
173
176
178
179
182
185
188
190
191
192
197
198
XXIV
CONTENTS.
"[Inconstant William. (For Answer to it see p. 231.)
Kind William ; or, Constant Betty ....
The "Wounded Lover's Lamentation to Silvia (" You I love") .
The Hasty Wedding ; or, William's Patience Bewarded
The Wiltshire Wedding of Daniel and Doll .
The Winchester Wedding ; or, ltalph of Heading and Black
Bess of the Green. By Tom D'Urfey, 1682-84.
Roger's Delight ; or, The West-Country Christening and
Gossiping. By Tom D'TJrfey, hefore 1688
The Wanton Wife of Bath. (Before 1616.) .
ISnti of ' fftatrt'monial an*& SntufRatrimom'al Ballads' .
A Strange Banquet, given by Cock-Lorrell at the Peak of
Derbyshire. By Ben Jonson, 1613. (See cut, p. xvii
The Fryar well fitted ; or, A Pretty Jest that once befell, etc
The Unconscionable Batchelors of Derby
An Ancient Song of Bartholomew Fair, in 1655
The Unfortunate Lover; or, Merry-Andrew's loss of Joan
The Westminster Wedding ; or, Carleton's Epithalamium
An Answer to ' Unconstant William '
The Northern Ditty ; or, The Scotchman Outwitted. By
TomD'Urfey .....
An Answer to ' Cold and Raw ' .
A Third Merry Ditty of < Cold and Raw ' .
Roger's Renown ; or the Fourth Merry Ditty of ' Cold and Raw
The Ploughman's Reply to the Merry Milkmaid's Delight
Editorial Intermezzo : Ballade de Notre Temps
The West-Couutry Delight (with Frontispiece)
A Chansonnette {Editorial)
Editorial Preface to Part XXI (1891)
Song of Country Life. By Thomas Heywood
" When the time comes we must go."
The Passionate Lover : "I love thee more and more .
The Guinea Wins Her : " How happy are we."
Group of iHcvrg Sfo&cnturcs.
(Dedicated to W. E. Wilson, Esq., of the British Museum) .
A Way to Woo a Witty Wench ....
The Maiden's Nay; or, I love not You. By P. H[ayhurst ?]
The West Country Jig; or, Love in due Season
The West Country Wooing ; or, Merrv-conceited Couple.
Probably by John Wad. ?
A Serious Discourse between Two Lovers. By John Wade .
Predestined Love :" Pastora's Beauties." .
Tom and Will ; or, The Shepherds' Sheep-fold
PAGE
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208
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Ibid.
241
244
247
250
252
255
256
257
CONTENTS. XXV
PAGE
260
262
265
266
The "West Country Dialogue ; Aniseed Robin and Jack
Downright Wooing, of Country William and Pretty Peggy
A Shepherd fallen in Love ; A Pastoral, 1655
The Few Courtier : < Have at AIL' .
The Tombs in Westminster Abbey. By Edw. or John Phillips 268
The Great Boobee . . . . . .273
The Down-right Country-Man ; or, Faithful Dairy-Maid . 276
" Adieu to the Curse of a Country Life ! " 1681 . .277
The Citizen's Vindication against the Down-right Country-man 278
The Sorrowful Citizen; or, the Couragious Plow-man . 279
The Londoner's Answer to Down-right Dick of the West . 282
The Merry Plow-man and Loving Milk-maid . .284
Country Girl's Policy ; or, The Cockney Outwitted . . 286
The Plow-man's Praise, in answer to the Bonny Milk maid . 288
The Loving Lad and the Coy Lass : Will and Jane . . 289
Women's Just Complaint, against Man's Deceitfulness in Love 292
The Young Man's Resolution, etc. By J. S., or S. P. . 295
The Maiden's Reply to the Young Man's Resolution . 297
The Lover's Prophecy. Possibly by Tobias Bowne . . 299
Young Man's Lamentation ; or, Love and loyalty rewarded
with Cruelty . . . . . .300
The Maid's Answer to the Young Man's Lamentation . 301
Play-House Song, the Bonny Grey-eyed Morn, by Tom D'Urfey 302
Pretty Kate of Edinburgh. Original by Tom D'Drfey . 304
The Scotch Wooing : Jockey of the Lough and Jenny ("seep. 348) 305
Merry Wooing of Robin and Joan : The West-Country Lovers 308
The Wedding of Arthur o' Bradley : version of 1656 . 314
The Ballad of Arthur of Bradley : version of 1661 . . 317
A Eound, 1609 : " Sing with thy mouth, sing with thy heart.'' 319
Arthur o'Bradley : Roxburghe slip version, 1778 (Cf. p. 819) 320
Love's Mystery ; or, A Parcel of Clouded Waggery . 322
The Mystery Discovered ; or, Erolic upon Frolic . • 323
The Merry Bag-pipes : The Pleasant Pastime, etc. . • 326
The Nobleman's Generous Kindness ; or, the Country-man, etc. 329
The Knitter's Job; or, The earnest Suitor of Walton Town . 331
The Bachelor's Ballad ; or, A Remedy against Love . . 334
The Maid's Answer to the Bachelor's Ballad; or, Love
without Remedy ..... 336
The Country Lover's Conquest in winning a Coy Lass . 338
Merry Country Maid's Answer to Country Lover's Conquest . 340
The West-Country Jig ; or, A Trenchmore Galliard . . 343
A Meeting : " The Old Coach-road thro' a common of furze." . 345
Joan's Sorrowful Lamentation ; or, False-hearted John. 346
A Maidenhead Ill-bestowed ; or, Dialogue betwixt Jenny
and Jockey (Incongruous Sequel to p. 305) . . 348
Jenny, Jenny ; or, the False-hearted Knight and Kind Lass . 350
XXVI
CONTENTS.
TAGE
Some milofosffiwnt Ballatis . . 352
Give me the Willow Garland; or, The Maiden's Fear. By
Laurence Price ...... 353
The Willow Green ; or, The Distressed Lover's Complaint . 355
The Willow Green turned into White; or, Young Man's Joy 357
Cupid's Trappan ; or, Up the Green Forest, etc. . . 359
Bachelor's Fore-cast ; or, Cupid Uublest : Answer to Cupid's
Trappan. . • . . . .361
Scotch Lad's Moan ; Moggie's Unkindness. By T. D'Ui fey . 364
The Merry Man's Resolution ; or, A London Frolic. By T. J. 366
The Wanton Wife of Castle-Gate ; or, The Boat-man's Delight 369
Jealous Nanny; or, False-hearted Willy Turned True . 372
The Forlorn Damsel. Perhaps by John Wade . . 374
" When Beggars do marry, for better, for worse." 1729 . 375
The Knight and the Beggar- Wench .... 376
The Merchant's Son and the Beggar-Wench of Hull . . 379
The Forsaken Maid's Frolic ; or, a Farewell to Fond Love . 380
The False Knight Outwitted: A New Song . . . 383
The Disconsolate Nymph : and, The Swain's Answer . 385
Dead and Alive : A Ditty out of Gloucestershire. By L. Price 387
" Had she not care enough of her Old Man ? " Before 1670 . 391
Editorial Finale, to ' Group of Merry Adventures ' . 392
Some Ballaos of 5Loue's ^Mischances . . 393
Editorial Prelude . . . . Ibid.
Cromlet's Lilt : with Her Reply .... 396
Another Reply (unauthentic, but Roxburghe) to Cromlet's Lilt 397
The Young Man's Unfortunate Destiny. Possibly by T. Bowne 399
The Frowns of Fate; an Answer to Unfortunate Destiny. Ibid 401
The Westminster Lovers ; Thomas and Isabella . . 403
The Lamented Lovers ; or, Grief for the Unhappy Tragedy . 405
The Tormented Lovers : " O Love, if e'er thou'lt ease a Heart " 408
The Ruined Lovers : Being a Rare Narrative, etc. . .411
Love's Tyranny; or, Death more welcome than Disdain . 413
Love's Torments eased by Death. By Tom D'Urfey . .415
A Mournful Carol : Frankin and Cordelius . . . 418
The Woful Complaint and Death of a Forsaken Lover . 422
Editorial Finale to Love's Mischances : The Fleeting Hour 424
Some Complaints of Millers ....
The Witty Maid of the West ; or, the Miller well Thrashed
West-Country Lawyer ; or, Witty Maid's Good Fortune
Skuetal SfjnrauatcD ' Complaints '
The Dying Lover's Complaint
The Cuckold's Complaint ; or, The Wife's Severe Cruelty
425
426
428
429
430
431
CONTENTS. XXV11
The Hen-peckt Cuckold ; or, The Cross-grain'd Wife
The Wife's Answer to the Hen-peckt Cuckold's Complaint
The Young Lady's Complaint. By Laurence White.
The Courteous Knight. 1609 .
" Apres ma joumee faite."
"Eh! qui vous passera le Bois."
The Baffled Knight ; or, the Lady's Policy. In Four Parts
Love's Triumph over Bashfulness. Originally by D'Urfey
Love's Power .....
The Loving Chamher-maid; or, Vindication of a Departed, etc
Love's Chronicle. By Abraham Cowley
The Zealous Lover : " Come, prethee Love" .
The Mistaken Lover; or, the SupposedTJngrateful Creature, etc
Love in a Bush ; or, the Two Loyal Lovers' Joys Completed
The Easter Wedding ; or, the Bridegroom's Joy in his Bride
The Hasty Bridegroom : " Come from the Temple." .
Cumberland Nelly, " There was a Lass in Cumberland"
The Lass of Cumberland. (Another early Version.) .
The Cumberland Laddy. (Imitation of ' Cumberland Lass.')
Earn the SEaglor ffiroup
The Trappan'd Taylor ; or, A Warning to all Taylors, etc.
The London Taylor's Misfortune ; or, Cutbeard Harding
Poor Tom the Taylor ; his Lamentation
The Taylor's Lamentation ....
The Country Maiden's Lamentation, for the Loss of her Tayloi
The Wonder of Wonders : a six-legged Creature
A Bloody Battle between a Taylor, etc.
A Dreadful Battle between a Taylor, etc. By John Taylor
The Taylor's Vindication ; an Answer to the Warlike Taylor
Oxfordshire Betty, her Letter to Tom the Taylor
" What shall I do to show how much I love her ? " .
The Taylor's Wanton Wife of Wapping
Touch and Go ; or, The French Taylor Trapann'd .
Lamentation of Seven Journeymen Taylors, (samples)
Editorial Finale to Part XXI. ' If the Door is loc/c'd.'
& Second ffiroup of Nautical Ballatfs
The Mariner's Delight, with Seven Wives . . . 490
The Maidens of London their brave Adventures . .491
Faithful Jemmy and Constant Susan, living at Redriffe . 493
The Gallant Seaman's Resolution .... 495
Love and Loyalty ; or a Letter from a Young Man, to Susan
in London . . . . . .497
Two loyal Lovers, Sweet William and Coy Susan . . 499
Two loyal Lovers ; or, A True Pattern of Love. By Thomas
Robins ...... 501
PAGE
432
433
435
437
438
Ibid.
439
442
445
447
449
451
454
455
457
458
463
464
465
466
467
470
472
474
475
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
485
487
488
489
XXV111 CONTENTS.
r-AGE
502
505
True Pattern of Loyalty : Agreement William and Susan
A Farewell to Gravesend ....
A Voyage to Virginia ; or, The Valiant Soldiers Farewell to
his Love ...... 508
The Trapanned Maiden ; or, The Distress'd Damsel . .511
" The Perils and dangers of the voyage past" . .513
The Pensive Maid ; or, The Virgin's Lamentation . .516
The Valiant Seaman's happy return to his Love, after seven
years . , . . . . .518
Careless Billy: The Frolicsome Spark. "Why should we
quarrel for riches '? " ..... 520
The True Lover's Joy : A Dialogue between a Seaman and
his Love ...... 521
The Press Gang. By Harry Carey, 1739 . . . 523
The Seaman's Adieu to his dear .... 524
The Seaman's Adieu to his Pretty Betty, near "Wapping; or,
A Pattern of True Love .... 527
The Benjamin's Lamentation for their said loss at sea . 529
A Proper New Ballad, entitled, The Granadeer's Pant.
September, 1680 . . . . . 532
The Sailor's Departure from his dearest Love . . 534
"Will the "Weaver and Charity the Chambermaid : A brisk
Encounter ...... 536
Songof, "ItwasI ! "— " Not far from town " . . 537
The Letters Three . . . . . .538
The Constant Maiden's Resolution ; or Loyal love to a Seaman 539
Loyal Constancy : The Seaman's Love-Letter. By John Blay 542
Virtue, the Beward of Constancy. Mary Foart's Answer . 543
The Faithful Lover's Farewell ; or, Private News from
Chatham ...... 544
The Valiant Virgin ; or, Philip and Mary . . . 546
The Seaman's Doleful Farewell : The Greenwich Lover . 549
Love and Loyalty well met . . . .550
The Undaunted Seaman : with his Love's Lamentation . 551
The Unkind Parents ; or, Languishing Lamentation of two
loyal Lovers ...... 552
Imitation: " A weary lot is thine, fair Maid " . . 553
" It was a' for him our rightful King." . . Ibid.
The Seaman's Folly, in marrying One so quickly. By Joseph
Martin ....... 555
The Huntsman's Delight; or, The Forester's Pleasure. By
Joseph Martin . . . . . .557
The Seaman's Renown in "Winning his Pair Tjady . . 559
An Invitation to Lubberland, with Account of that Country . 564
Editorial Finale to Second Group of Nautical Ballads . 568
Dedicatory Prelude : addressed to "W. Y. Fletcher, F.S. A. 569
CONTENTS. XXIX
PAGE
jFfat ffiroup of historical Ballads: before 1688 . 571
Life and Death of Thomas Stukely, an English Gallant in
time of Queen Elizabeth .... 575
London's Glory and Whittington's Renown : a Looking-Glass
for Citizens . . . . . .582
An Old Ballad of Whittington and his Cat . . .585
" All you that are Good-Fellows." By Thomas Kobins . 588
The Honour of a London 'Prentice : Adventures in Turkey . 589
A Lamentable Ballad of a Combat between Sir James
Steward and Sir George Wharton, fought near London 595
The True Lover's Knot Untied : The renowned Princess the
Lady Arabella . . . . . .601
The Lamentation of John Musgrave, executed at Kendal . 604
A Pleasant Ballad : How two Valiant Knights, Sir John
Armstrong and Sir Michael Musgrave fell in love with
the daughter of Lad}- Dacres, etc. . . . 606
The Lofty Bishop, the Lazy Brownist, and the Loyal
Author, 1640 . . . . . .609
A Three Part Song, 1642. . . . .610
The Organ's Echo : Memento Mori, 1641 (Cf. p. 660) . 612
The Organ's Funeral ; or, The Choristers' Lamentation, 1642 614
A New Game of Cards ; or, The Three Nimble Shuffling
Cheaters. Perhaps by Laurence Price, compare p. 685 615
Majesty in Misery ; or, An Imploration to the King of Kings.
Attributed to Charles 1st . . . .619
The Manner of the King's Trial, at Westminster-Hall, January
1641- . . . . ..622
The King's Last Speech, at time of his Execution, 30
January, 164f ...... 625
The Lamenting Lady's last Farewell to the World ; Princess
Elizabeth, 1650. . . • . . .631
Upon the Defacing of Whitehnll. By Martin Parker, circa 1645 633
The Last News from France : Escape of the King of Scots
from Worcester, 2 Sept., 1651 . . . • 635
The Royal Patient Traveller ; or, the Wonderful Escapes of
his sacred Majesty Charles the Second from Worcester
Fight. By Henry Jones. .... 639
Captain Hind's Progrees and Ramble, 1651 . . . 644
The Lamentation of a Bad Market, 17 July, 1660 . . 647
A New Ballad, to an Old Tune, ' Make Room for an Honest
Red-Coat.' Same date . . . . .648
The Soldier's Fortune ; or, The Taking of Mardyke, 16££ . 651
The Soldier's Salutation to the Wary Wench of Worcester . 653
The Gang: Nine Worthies and Champions, Lambert,
Desboro', etc., 16;::; . • ■ • 658
XXX
CONTENTS.
_L8.
'6 U
The Traitors' Downfall ; or, A Brief Relation of that Phanatic
Crew ....
An Exit to the 'Exit Tyrannus,' March, 16
A Free Parliament Litany
Three Ballads on George .Monk :
1— Iter Boreale, the Second Part. By T. H.
2. — A Pleasant Dialogue hetween the Country-man and
Citizen, 1660 .
3. — England's Heroic Champion. By J. W. (query Wade ?)
The Loyal Subjects Joy : Restoration of King Charles II
The Mirror of Prince Charles the Second
The King enjoys his Own Again (Restoration Sequel)
"Win at First, Lose at Last : A New Game at Cards. By
• Laur. Price
A True Relation of the Great Floods in England. By L. White
The Troubles of these Times: Calamities of Our English
Nation ......
Great Britain's Alarum to Drowsie Sinners in Distress
The Frenchman's Lamentation for the Loss of their General
Turenne. .....
The Trial of Patience : Relation of a Widow of Yorkshire
Excellent New Song: A True Touch of the Times, 1687
England's Joyful Welcome to the King, James II ; or the
Loyal Subject's Delight, 1688 .
The Protestant's Satisfaction in a Prosperous Reign, 1686
2.— historical Ballatis: Ct'mc of Mnitam anti Jftarg
Tarqnin and Tullia : Extracts ....
The True Protestant's Triumph ; or, Lilliburlero in English
New Song on the Happy Coronation of William and Mary
The Subject's Satisfaction : a New Song of the Proclaiming
of King William and Queen Mary, 13th Feb., 1689
The Welsh Fortune-Teller; or, Sheffery Morgan's Observation
of the Stars
The Jolly Welsh Woman, drinking at the sign of the Crow
in London. .....
The Pope's Last Will and Testament, 1689
Some Ualt'ant Jcmalc Solbtcrs
1. — The Gallant She-Soldier. By Laurence Price, 1655
2. — The Famous Woman-Drummer. By Laur. Price
3.— The Soldier's Delight ; or, The She-Volunteer
4. — Dialogue between a Soldier and his Love
5. — The Love-Sick Lady, her sighs for her Loyal Soldier
6. — The Maiden Warrior ; or, The Damsel's Resolution, 1689
Pretty Polly Oliver's Kamble .
n
TAGE
661
663
665
670
672
675
678
680
682
685
689
692
095
699
702
707
710
712
715
716
718
719
720
722
724
726
727
728
730
732
734
735
737
739
CONTENTS.
XXXI
England's Tribute of Tears on the Death of Duke of Grafton,
" Oct., 1690 .....
Captain Johnson's last Farewell to the World. Dec, 1690
Sir John Johnson's Farewell. By Joe Hains
England's Triumph at Sea, 1691
Naval Warfare of 1692: "To God alone, let us all glory
give." . . ._ •
The Farmer's Son of Devonshire, 1693
The Loyal Soldier of Flanders ; or, Faithless Lass of London
The Loyal British Fighting in Flanders, 1694
The Poor Man's Prayer for Peace
The Eoyal Frolic ; or, King William's Entertainment
The Country Lass's Good Fortune
Eoyal Recreation ; or, King William's Merriment
The Royal Recreation ; or, A Second Part, etc.
The King and the Forester ....
The Court and Kingdom in Tears, for Queen Mary, 1694
Britain's Sorrowful Lamentation, for Loss of Queen Mary
Group of Christmas Carols ....
Religious Belief ; and, The Lowest Room (mottoes) .
Four Choice Carols for Christmas Holidays :
1. — On Christmas Day : " God rest you, merry Gentlemen."
2._On St. Stephen's Day : " In friendly Love " .
3.— On St. John's Day: "When bloody Herod," etc.
4. — On Innocents' Day : "Upon the 25th of December '
The Angel Gabriel, his Salutation to the B. Yirgin Mary
A Godly New Ballad, entitled, A Dozen of Points
A most excellent Ballad of Joseph the Carpenter, etc.
Even in the Twinkling of an Eye
A New Christmas Carol, 1661 : " The babe was born in
Bethlehem ....
A Christmas Carol, 1688 : "Now when Joseph and Mary"
Christ's Tears over Jerusalem. Probably by Thomas Deloney
The Wonderful Miracles of our Lord and Saviour
A New Carol of the Birth of our E. Saviour.
Christ compared to an Apple-Tree
Other Christmas Carols: The Cherry-Tree Carol, etc.
A Godly Ballad : "I will go seek my Saviour "
New Christmas Carol, -with Divine Poems: " Let all that ar
to mirth inclined " ....
Good Christian's Complaint: Poor Charity's Lamentation
A Description of Plain-Dealing, Time, and Death
A Letter for a Christian Family. By John Vicars .
A Lesson for all True Christians. By John Cart ? .
PAGE
740
742
741
745
746
748
750
752
753
756
758
759
761
763
766
766
769
777
775
776
Ibid.
Ill
779
780
781
783
785
786
787
791
792
794
796
797
801
805
808
811
814
xxxu
CONTENTS.
Slppcnbii : (Cotricjentia ct Utrtjcntia
The Country-Maid's Delight ; or, the Husbandman's Honour
made known .....
The Bad-husband's Experience of 111 -Husbandry ; or, A New
Lesson for Ale-Wives. By L. "White, or John "Wade
Couragious Seamen's Loyal Health (beginning on p. 52S)
The Downfall of Pride. By Humphrey Crouch
A Prospective-glass for Christians.
The Poet's Dream : his Vision of Tride.
The Religious Man's Exhortation
The Languishing Swain ; or, The Hard-hearted Shepherdess
Editorial Finale to Vol. VII — ' Time for us to go ! '
Accredited List of Axthobs
Index of First-Lines, Buedens, Titles, axd Tuxes .
PAGE
817
818
820
822
825
827
828
831
832
833
834
835
The Bookbinder is advised to retain, and not to cancel, the
successive temporary Prefaces and Tables of Contents, which
belong to the respective Parts : each holding special matter
deserving to be preserved for future reference.
This direction applies also to the previous volume.
«?* cXT»5iC^V>^^
i&ojrfmrgl)e Ballad
" IVT^ Dearest, h'ts walk through the Meadows this weather,
.xL And hear the Birds welcome in the Spring;
Beneath a Bhade we'll sit down together,
And hear the Nightingale sweetly sing.
There, as we pass, the chirping Sparrow,
Now from the blust'ring winter tree,
Will strain his throat lor to hid us Good-Morrow,
As we pass over the rlow'ry lea.
" The whistleing Blackbird will tune up his throat, too,
To see us loveingly pass along ;
The pretty Lark she will set up her note, too,
And in the air sing us her tine BOUg.
The Magpye in the hedge will chatter,
And tell the Good-Wife of her guess,
Seeming to tattle of many a matter :
Thus all the Birds will their joys express.
" There we shall hear too the sweet- singing Thrashes
Strain up their throats with the Jenny-Wren,
Seated on twigs in the pleasant Green bushes,
Singing as loud as their throats can strain," etc.
— The Spring Birth' Notts, to the Tune of
Charon make Haste, 1685.
Illustrating tf)t last gears of t\jt Stuarts*
EDITED,
WITH SPECIAL INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES,
BY
J. WOODFALL EBSWORTH, M.A., Cantab., F.S.A.
Author of ' Karl's Legacy,' 1868, and ' Cavalier Lyrics,' 1888 ;
Editor of four reprinted 'Drolleries' of the .Restoration;
of 'The Bagford Ballads' and 'Amanda Group of
Bagford Poems ' ; ' The Two Earliest Quartos
of A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1600:'
ETC.
WITH HIS COPIES OF ORIGINAL WOODCUTS.
FOl FE part h
Groups of JEratocs anto Sports, of Cupfo Ballatis, of fHatrtmomal
anti &ntt=£Hatrimom'al Ballatis.
Fiddler.—" Under your Mastership's correction I can sing-
• The Duke of Norfolk' ; or, ' The Merry Ballad
OfDi-oerus and Lazarus ' ; ' The Rose of England ' ;
' In Crete when Dedimns first began ' ;
' Jonas, his Crying out against Coventry ' ;
' Maudlin the [Bristoive) Merchant's Daughter' :
■ The Demi; and ' Ye dainty Dames ' ; \=Pride s Fall.
• The Landing of the Span yards at Bo7u,
11 itk the Bloody Battle of Mile-End: "
Thomas.—" All excellent ! "—Fletcher's Monsieur Thomas, iii. 3.
HERTFORD:
Pcintet) for tbe I5allati §>ocictp,
BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS.
1890.
HERTFORD :
l'KIXTED HV STEPHEN Al STIX AND >OXS.
No. 31.
CDttorial #vtfatt to 0art %%.
' ' "Wheref ore this tangle of perplexities,
The trouble or the joy? the weary maze
Of narrow fears and hopes that may not cease ? "
— Emma Lazarus : Phantasies.
|T is with feelings of mingled satisfaction and regret that
the Editor sends forth this portion of the Fixax Volume,
the Seventh, of Roxburghe Ballads : satisfaction, in so
far as a hundred choice ditties are here secured against
neglect and extinction, the merit of many among them
deserving to be recognized anew, especially those written by Ben
Jonson; Martin Parker, Laurence Price, Tobias Bowne, and the
vivacious Tom D'Urfey ; others, and often confined to a unique
impression, are by less-renowned yet once popular ballad-mongers,
whose names are unknown or their labours inextricably intermingled.
After two centuries and more of seclusion, they flutter forth again,
like bats and owls, into the light of day, and seek shelter in the
homes of our Ballao Son'ctrj.
So many of these homes are desolated year by year, and the long-
continued work has so many obstacles to encounter, that a regretful
sadness is difficult to conquer, even by one whose whole course of
life has been to mirthfully set at defiance every tendency to let
"melancholy mark him for her own," as she did the disagreeably
obtrusive victim of Thomas Gray's 'Elegy.' To be cheerfully
buoyant, keeping a light heart and a thin pair of etcetera, is
not a bad rule of conduct, in a world which fiuds so many of its
Nineteenth-century poets perpetually maudlin, its critics atrabilious,
its theologians a prey to ghastly doubts of their own ability to
believe the sacred truths our wiser ancestors laid to heart and
died for valiantly ; while our verbose Statesmen, dreary Professors,
and place-hunting turncoat Politicians, court the mob, cherishing
pessimism, lured by democratic socialism or destructive separatist
theories. One might think that such people had continued to live
too long, until after "night's candles are burnt out," and yet
no "jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops;" so
desponding are their moods. As though neither nature nor art
could please them, and they adopted Hamlet's words, without his
excuse, " Man delights not me, nor woman either ! "
Why so melancholy, my little Sirs? Have you lost enjoyment
of an astronomical treatise, a dish of syllabubs under the tree, of
an opera by Gluck, a punch-bowl, a well-harmonised glee, or an
unadulterated old English ballad ? The sea-side breezes, the scent
viii* A Ballad- Lover's rejection of Pessimism (Cf. p. 240).
of violets in the hedge-rows, the halmy breath of our northern
heights at Hampstead Heath, or a brisk ascent of Scotch or Swiss
mountains (we name not Wales, because unfortunately it has the
drawback of harbouring discontented and dishonest natives to destroy
the charm, since " Taffy was a Welshman, and Taffy was a thief"
from hoar antiquity) ; cannot any or all of these banish your
dyspepsia ? Can no perusal of the countless masterpieces of English
and foreign literature, ' that large utterance of the early gods,'
console you for selfish troubles, insects of the day with your paltry
jealousies, and awaken a nobler ambition? Are some of these
delights too far removed from you ? Well, then, take the goods
provided for j^ou, and turn to banquet on our newly completed
portion of Roxburghe Ballads. With " Sports and Trades," with
"Cupid Ballads," and with 'Matiimonial or Anti Matrimonial
Ditties,' you may banish Atra Cura.
Erelong another Part will be ready for your delectation : a second
third of this final volume. It will hold a ' Group of William and
Mary Ballads,' with a few on military commanders and historical
characters, extending through the days of Queen Anne to the early
Georges ; a second and concluding ' Group of Later Naval
Ballads,' which might make an ' Old Salt ' linger over them, and
forget his grog or his sailing-orders ; a ' Group of Religious and
Moral Ballads,' considerably too sublime in their ecstatic devotion
for ordinary easy-going sinners to resist being converted to exemplary
conduct and churchmanship ; with our friend W. R. Wilson's now
ready ' Group of Merry Adventures' for men and maids; and a
varied ' Group of Notable Events and Occurrences,' not omitting
a few pleasant highwaymen or edifying hangings, which suffice to
show that people were wide awake two centuries ago, and knew
how to enjoy life or death, whichever chanced to come uppermost.
These are early-forthcoming dainties from our excellent printers,
the Messrs. Stephen Austin & Sons' Hertford press ; and Members
of the Ballad- Society may say with Parson Evans, as we formerly
quoted, in a truly prophetical spirit, " I will make an end of my
dinner : there is pippins and cheese to come ! "
Among the rarities in the present Part XX. is a unique ballad,
probably written by Martin Parker, (reprinted on p. 168), "The
Northern Lasse's Lamentation," with its thrilling burden of ' 0 the
Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree, They flourish at home in my
own Country. Another ballad having almost identically the same
burden is mentioned on p. 170 ; this being itself a unique broadside,
originally perhaps by Laurence Price, if not Martin Parker's, and
never hitherto reprinted, it is added here for comparison without
delay. (The music of Love's Tide was composed by Henry Lawes,
and printed in 1659 : beginning, "How calm and temperate am I
grown." See vol. vi. p. 774, where we gave the song complete.)
' The Ash, and the Oak, and the Ivy- Tree.' ix*
C6e Lancashire Letters;
©t, &fje JHerrrj W,aoinQ of Thomas arrti Betty.
Thomas to pritty Betty «•««£ a wooing,
And with this Virgin fain he would be doing ;
She blushes, then she smiles, and crys, " Pish ! fie ! "
And with half-smiles, half-frowns, puts his hand by ;
At length by gentle dalliance the Maid
Is over-power'd and is [over-sway'd] ;
Love's pleasures having tasted, with faint breath,
" Thomas," she says, " I am thine unto the death."
Now Thomas to the seas must go ;
Betty in man s Apparel goes also :
Thomas was by a common bullet slain,
But Betty safely did return again.
To the Tune of Love's Tide [see p. 97] ; or, At home to be in my own Country.
Thomas.
" IVT^ Betty, thou knowest I have courted thee for long,
lit I prithee now ease me of my pain ;
My love it is true, and my passion is strong,
Come let me but kiss thee once again.
The Ash and the Oak, and the Ivy- Tree,
Flourish bravely at home, in our Country."
Betty.
" Those flatteries, Thomas, I pray you forbear,
Young men they are wanton, deceitful and wild,
They study all they can young maidens to ensnare,
But I'le have a care how 1 am beguil'd.
The Ash [and the Oak, and the Ivy Tree,
Flourish bravely at home in my own Country], 12
Thomas.
" To tell thee I love [thee] better than Gold,
Or prize thee more than precious Pearl,
Is nothing but the truth, and to say 't I'le be bold :
For I love thee more than those, my Girl.
The Ash and the Oak, and the Ivy Tree,
Flourish bravely at home, in our own Country.'''
Betty.
" If your love it be true, I do thank you for 't ;
But why should 1 marry, being not fifteen ?
I believe you're a wag, and love for to sport
With every Virgin you have seen. The Ash, [the Oak,] etc." 24
Thomas.
M Pretty Betty, believe me, I am not in jest :
I'le be constant and true to thee all my life.
That love to my Dearest, which I have exprest,
I[s i]n honesty, Betty, to make thee my Wife." The Ash, etc.
Betty.
" But, Thomas, you know I am too young for to wed,
Full seven years longer I well may tarry :
I fear for to lose my soft maidenhead, [i.e., maidenhood, frequenter.
Which tempts you thus with me to marry." The Ash, etc. i>6
x* The Lancashire Lovers : Thomas and Hetty.
Thomas.
" Oh, Betty ! fear nothing, lie do thee no harm ;
The flower is sweetest when [it is] new blown ;
I know that thy blood now begins to be warm,
Though the pleasures of Love thou hast never known." The Ash, etc.
Betty.
" Go, Thomas, I doubt thou art wantonly bent,
Yet I'le swear you almost tempt me to love ;
If I thought I should not the bargain repent,
I would venture to taste the sweet pleasures of Love." The Ash. 48
Thomas.
' ' Fear nothing, my Dearest, come give me thy hand ;
Speak freely, my Betty, and vow to be mine :
My Body and Estate is at thy command,
And all the delights of the world shall be thine." The Ash, etc.
Betty.
' ' Here I'le give thee my hand, and with it my heart ;
And to seal the bargain I'le give thee [a] kiss :
From my true Love I will never depart.
I'le venture it now, let it hit or miss." The Ash, etc. 60
Thus Thomas and Betty at last were agreed.
But mark how Fortune did on tbem frown :
Toor Thomas was fore'd to the Seas with speed,
And poor Betty with grief was cast down.
The Ash, [the Oak, and the Ivy Tree,
Flourish bravely at home, in our Country'].
[2Ci)e JSecanti Part. To the same Tune.]
Thomas.
" \T^W' Betty, for a while I must bid thee adue,
ll And to the Seas I must speedily go :
But I to my Betty will ever be true,
Not doubting but she will prove so too." The Oak, etc. 72
Betty.
" Since the Fates have desired to take thee from me, [' take him.']
I'le cross their designs : with my dearest I'le go :
In a Souldier's apparel 1 cloathed will be,
And none of the Seamen shall me know." The Ash, etc.
Thomas.
" If that thou art resolved with me for to go,
My endeavour shall be thee in safety to keep :
To save thee from hard boards Lie lye down full low,
And at night in my arms my dearest shall sleep."
Oh the Ash, [the Oak, and the Ivy -Tree,
Flourish bravely at home in our Country]. 84
Thus both sail'd together upon the salt main,
And their ship with their enemy did quickly engage ;
Poor Thomas by a bullet was unhappily slain,
Which made his sweet Betty with madness to rage. To the Ash, etc.
' Toby's Delight : ' another ballad b// Tobias Bowne. xi*
Betty.
" Now a fare-wel unto all worldly joy !
My Thomas being dead, no delights I shall see :
Although at first I did seem to be coy,
Yet often times we did hug by the Ivy -Tree :
The Ash, and the Oak, and the Ivy- Tree :
And I'le now stay at home, in my own Country." 96
Printed for J. Wright, J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, and T. Passinger.
fin Black-letter. Three woodcuts : 1st, the Knight and Lady, a little papoose
floating suggestively down the river towards them, as in vol. vi. p. 110 ; 2nd
and 3rd are on p. 143 in the present volume. Date, of later issue, circa 1672.]
Tobias Bowne wrote many of our Roxburghe Ballads, including
'A Fairing for Young Men and Maids' (on p. Ill) and the series
which bears his name, ' Tobias' Advice,' his ' Experience ' and his
' Observation' (on pp. 151, 153, 155) ; we here add ' Toby's Delight,'
probably his also, from a unique broadside not hitherto reprinted.
Cofcp'0 tDeltgbt ;
©r, %x Encoutapmmt far Ifounrj JHen anti iEHattis.
Young Men and Maids pray never tarry,
Ife're you do intend to marry ;
For if your charge be ne'r so great,
He that sends mouths -will sure send meat. [Compare p. 129.
To the Tune of, Tender Hearts of London City. [See vol. vi. p. 80.]
" T^Hou art she whom I love dearly, therefore, dearest, do not fear me,
J- I do love thee as my life ;
All that's mine shall be thine, and if thou wilt but be my "Wife.
" Though I have not much to give thee, yet I vow I will not leave thee
"While that I enjoy this life ;
Till Death doth come, & call us home, which parteth every man & wife." 10
[The Maid Answers.]
" I have heard some people babble, saying, ' You'l come into trouble,
You must expect a charge come on,
When you are wed and brought to bed: ' those things I'de have you think upon ! "
[Man.]
' ' Suppose that we had Children plenty, if it were eighteen or twenty,
Yet they are blessings to the Poor :
And in their sight take more delight than he that hath thousands in store. 20
" Therefore why should we be daunted ? it's your love I ask, pray grant it,
And to thee I will prove true.
I'le not leave thee, nor deceive thee, and will love no one but you."
Maid.
" Though your Father did deride me, and your Mother she doth chide me,
Yet I will not leave my dear ;
But I will do my best for you, to please you shall be all my care." 30
xii* "And be first on my feet, to make a Collection."
Man.
" Lay aside all ill suspicion, doubt not of my poor condition,
Banish all such dread and fear ;
Why may not we as well agree, as those who have thousands a year ?
" It's known that we came all from Adam ; Moll and Joan as well as Madam,
Then why should we then not agree
With our descent to be content, as Madam, though in silks she be ? " 40
Maid.
" My love, what need we care for riches ? it's a thing the heart bewitches ;
Dung and dross we may it call ;
But perfect Love is far above all Riches that on some do fall.
" What need we to frown or quarrel ? 'tis but meat, drink, and apparel,
In this world we can desire.
My love to you it is as true as the[irs] that walk in silk attire, \_texl, ' them.'
" I like the words which thou hast spoken, if your vows are never broken,
Yet I doubt how things may fall ;
If you prove kind, you'l please my mind, lor true Love is the best of all."
Man.
" Say no more, my love, about it ; we will live in love, ne'r doubt it :
I would have you nothing fear.
The poor, I see, as well agree, as those that have thousands a year. 60
Come, Maid, fill us one full quart in, that we may both drink at parting,
Since we cannot longer stay ;
Come, here's to you, and so adieu ! until we meet another day."
[Probably written by Tobias Bowne.]
tfhu'g.
Printed for P\hilip\ BrooJcsby, at the Golden-Ball in Pije-Corner.
[In Black-letter. Two woodcuts, each of two figures, the 1st given in our
Bayford Ballads, p. 563 ; 2nd, here on p. 208. Date, 168| or 1683.]
Tobias was too sensible a man to be the slave of crotchets,
whims, or silly 'fads,' and managed to make the best of the world
in which he found himself, instead of yelping as a Social Re former
whose eyes and ears admit nothing without prejudice. We take
his lessons thankfully, 'and so say all of us.'
It may be of no use (except at generous Plymouth and Thanet) for
the Editor to do, what is rightfully the business of the Secretary-
Treasurer, viz. to urge strenuously the Members of the Ballad Society
to pay up arrears of subscriptions, and enable printers to complete
this work. Therefore we leave the matter alone, without so much
as a hint that guineas are needed. " 0 no ! we never mention it,"
except where an old ballad, on p. 53, says " down with your dust."
J. WOODFALL EBS WORTH.
January 20, 1890.
CONTENTS OF VOL. VIL PART 1.
[This cut belongs to pp. 164, 189.]
Editorial Preface to Part XX. ....
The Lancashire Lovers : wooing of Thomas and Betty. (By P.)
Tobie's Delight. By Tobias Bowne
JErrata and Addenda .....
Laborare est Orare. (Trowbesh MS.)
Acrostic Sonnet, Dedicatory to Joseph Knight, Esq. .
The Tradesman's Complaint upon the Hardness of the Times
The Clothier's Delight; or, The Eieh Men's Joy, etc.
The Poet's Dream ; against Bailiffs and their Dogs .
' Sawney was tall, and of noble race.' By Tom D'TJrfey
Jenny's Answer to Sawney ; or, The Inconstant Lover Despised
A True Character of Sundry Trades and Callings
The Naked Truth ; or, A New Song without a Lye .
Invincible Pride of Women ; The London Tradesman's Lament
The West-Country Weaver, his Sorrowful Lamentation
Song in Praise of The Bonny Milk-Maid. By Tom D'Urfey .
The Innocent Country-Maid's Delight. (See Reply, p. 238.)
The Happy Husband-man ; or, Country Innocence
Huntington-shire Plow-man ; or, The Plowman's Complaint .
The Shoemaker's Delight ; or, A New Dialogue
The Gentle Craft's Complaint ; or, Shoe-maker's Petition
The Honest Tradesman's Honour Vindicated, etc.
A May-Day Remembrance of Cornwall. (Trowbesh MS.)
A Very Godly Song, Petition of the Clerk of Bodnam
Fancy's Phoenix; or, The Peerless Paragon of the Times
Fancy's Favourite; or, The Mirror of the Times. By C.H.
PAGE
vii*
IX*
XI*
XV1V
1
3
4
7
11
14
15
17
19
20
22
25
27
29
31
33
35
37
39
40
42
44
XIV* CONTENTS OF PART XX.
PAGE
The Sorrowful Lamentation of the Pedlars and petty Chapmen 46
A Pleasant New Song : ' My Life and my Death' . . 48
An Answer to it, by Tom D'TJrfey : Love Unblinded . . Ibid.
The Jovial Pedlar ; or, A Merry New Ditty . . .49
The Proud Pedlar : ' So merrily singeth the Nightingale.' . 51
The St. Giles's Broker, buying a Green Goose . . 52
News from More-Lane : A Frolic of a Tapster with a Colt . 55
The Cries of London (a.d. 1747-1759) . . .57
The Three Worthy Butchers of the North. By Paul Burges. 59
A New Ballad of the Three Merry Butchers . . .62
Some Luck, Some Wit : Mary Carleton, the German Princess 64
(For ' Carleton's Epithalamium,' see p. 230 post.)
A Lamentable Ditty on the Death of George Stoole . .68
The Life and Death of George of Oxford ; with his Confession 70
Geordie : the earliest-known printed Scots version . -72
Room for a Jovial Tinker : Old Brass to Mend . . 74
The Old Pudding-pye "Woman, set forth in her Colours . 77
The Ragman. By John Lookes . . . .78
The May-Day Country Mirth . . . .79
'Joan to the May-Pole' : original, 1630 . . .81
The Royal Recreation of Jovial Anglers . . .82
The Virgin Race ; or, Yorkshire's Glory . . .84
A New Song, on Eclipse, his foot-race at Drax, Yorkshire . 85
The Hunting of the Hare . . . . .87
Princely Diversion : The Trusley Hare-Hunting Song . . 91
A New Hunting Song, A Fox-Chace from Craythorne . 93
A New Fox-Hunting Song, the Cleaveland Hounds, 1785 . 95
Editorial Entr'Acte : ending ' Group of Trades and Sports ' . 96
& (group of Cupfrj Ballatis.
" Cupid, thou art a sluggish Boy ! " (1658.) . . 97
Cupid's Delight ; or, The Two Young Lovers broyled in Love 98
Cupid's Wanton Wiles; Friendly Advice. By Laurence Price 100
The Dainty Damsel's Dream ; or, Cupid's Vision. By the same. 102
The Maid's Revenge upon Cupid and Venus. By the same . 104
The Kind Mistress (" Long days of Absence") . . 106
The Noble Gallant ; or, Answer to " Long days of Absence." 107
The London Lad's Lamentation to Cupid (" Chloe's face," &c.) 109
A Fairing for Young Men and Maids. By Tobias Bowne . Ill
A Pleasant new song of Two Valentines and their Lovers . 114
No Drawing of Valentines. By "Wni. Cartwright, 1637 . H5
To his Mistress, A Valentine. By Robert Herrick, before 1638. Ibid.
The London Lasse's Lamentation ; or, Her Fear lest she, etc. 1 16
The Young Women and Maidens' Lamentation . .117
" Cupid, thou art a wanton boy" (before 1659: compare p. 97) J 18
Love's Overthrow (lost from Roxburghe Coll., now retrieved) 119
CONTENTS OF PART XX.
XV
-.',-
PAGE
The Slighted Maid ; or, The Pining Lover . . .122
" My lodging upon the cold floor is." (By Hon. J. Howard.) 124
" Lie still, my babe, lie still and sleep ! " (Ibid.) . . Ibid.
Post- Dedication to George Steinman-Steinman, Esq., F.S.A. . Ibid.
& ffiroup of Jftatrhnonial Ballaos.
Dedicace a. M. Alexandre Beljame, Docteur-es-Lettres, etc. . 125
(Editorial) Andromeda Eediviva, with a Rock Ahead . .126
(Editorial) Four Conditions of Woman : Madme. et ces Demoiselles 128
" Jenny is poor, and I am poor " . . . -129
The Oxfordshire Damosel ; or, The London Merchant's Choice 134
A Week's Loving, Wooing, and Wedding; or, Happy is the
Wooing that is not long a Dooing . . .136
" I married my "Wife on a Sunday," etc. . . . 137
A Match at a Venture ; or, Time and Opportunity won the Day 1 38
The more Haste, the worse Speed; or, The Maid's Complaint 141
The Virtuous Maid's Eesolution ; or, The Two Honest Lovers 144
Wonderful Praise of a Good Husband ; The Mother's Counsel. 147
A Merry Dialogue, Thomas and John : on Women and Wine 149
Tobias' Advice ; or, A Remedy for a Ranting Young-man . 151
Tobie's Experience Explain'd (concerning Hostesses). . 153
Tobias' Observation (of a couple at a Pair, Cf. Preface, p. xi*) 155
The New Way of Marriage ; or, John and Kate's Contract . 158
The Kind-hearted Creature ; or, The Prettiest Jest, etc. . 160
Rock the Cradle, John. By Laurence Price. ( Cut on p. xiii*) 162
The Bonny Bryer ; or, A Lancashire Lass, etc. By Martin
Parker. (See companion ballad in Preface, p. ix*) . 165
The Northern Lass's Lamentation ; or, The Unhappy Maid's
Misfortune. Probably by Martin Parker ". .168
The Northern Lad; or, The Fair Maid's Choice . .171
The Fickle Northern Lass ; or, The Shepherd's Resolution . 173
The True Lover's Victory ; or, The Northern Couple agreed . 176
The Trappan'd Virgin ; or, Good Advice to Maidens . . 178
A Young Man put to his Shifts ; or, Ranting Resolution . 179
The Patient Husband and the Scolding Wife. . .182
The Woman to the Plough, and the Man to the Hen-roost.
Probably by Martin Parker . . . .185
My Wife will be my Master; Married Man's Complaint . 188
The Woman Outwitted; or, The Weaver's Wife in a Trap . 190
" What hap had I to marry a Shrow ! "—From Pammelia, 1609 191
The Scolding Wife . . . . . .192
The Scolding Wife's Vindication ; or, An Answer, etc. . 197
The New German Doctor ; A Cure for a Scolding Wife . 198
TJnconstant William. (For Ansiver to it see p. 231.) . 200
Kind William ; or, Constant Betty . . . .201
The Wounded Lover's Lamentation to Silvia (" You I love ") . 202
XVI* CONTENTS OF PA15T XX.
PAGE
The Hasty Wedding ; or, William's Patience Rewarded . 203
The Wiltshire Wedding of Daniel and Doll . . .205
The Winchester Wedding; or, Ralph of Reading and Black
Bess of the Green. By Tom D'Urfey, 1682-84 . . 208
Roger's Delight ; or, The West-Country Christening and
Gossiping. By Tom D'Urfey, before 1688 . .210
The Wanton Wife of Bath. (Before 1616.) . . . 213
©nto of * fHatrimonial anti &ntt=fHatrimontal Ballads . 216
A Strange Banquet, given by Cock-Lorrell at the Peak of
Derbyshire. By Ben Jonson, 1613 . . .219
The Pryar well fitted ; or, A Pretty Jest that once befell, etc. 222
The Unconscionable Batchelors of Derby . . . 225
An Ancient Song of Bartholomew Fair, in 1655 . . 227
The Unfortunate Lover ; or, Merry- Andrew's loss of Joan 229
The Westminster Wedding ; or, Carleton's Epithalamium . 230
An Answer to ' Unconstant William.' . . .231
The Northern Ditty; or, The Scotchman Outwitted. By
Tom D'Urfey . . . . . .233
An Answer to ' Cold and Raw ' . . . 234
A Third Merry Ditty of ' Cold and Raw ' . . -235
Roger's Renown ; or the Fourth Merry Ditty of ' Cold and Raw.' 236
The Ploughman's Reply to the Merry Milkmaid's Delight. 238
Editorial Intermezzo : Ballade de Notre Temps . . 240
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.
T/ffF who need no persona ingrata,
To growl and pick holes in our coat,
Here furnish a List of Errata,
Which pro temp, our kind readers should note :
Since, despite all our care, and our printers',
Being fallible mortals, alas !
We have found out a few blots and splinters :
Please to cancel, and not let them pass.
Page 9. — For Beneage Finch, read John, Lord Finch, as rightly on p. 103.
19. — The woodcut of two men going to dig gravel is on p." 196.
23.— The woodcuts are given on p. 133 (=vi. p. 243). Chronos has
brought together into silence the two who differed in opinion.
28, and p. 43. — The Milkmaid cut is on p. 168, left, with Mercer of p. 83.
32.— The tune of My child must have a father is identified on p. 99.
51. — Read part is here; remainder on p. 54.
83. — The woodcut of Exchange haberdasher is added on p. 168, right.
105. — Reference to woodcut of woman with fan should be vi. 166 ; not 16.
108. — The woodcut of youth, vi. 50, is given on p. 203, right.
110. — Read ' thank you too ; ' an accidental slip of g for y.
125. — Third line, delete words preceding the bracket {Vingtihne Siecle).
187. — Square-bracket, for p. 163, p. 166, read respectively p. 162, p. 165.
$roup of CraDesmen $ Sportsmen.
~\,T Y heart felt sore, Son o/Adam !
-L'-L ][£y heart still is heavy for you,
At the beck of each Cit, Miss, or Madam,
With so very much too-much to do ! —
My experience of life having shown me
{Breaking manacle, fetter and chain,)
Social bondage might soon have o 'er ■thrown me ;
But I scorn' d to sell Freedom for gain.
Chronos warns us 'Near Twelve,'' Son o/Adam !
My own life-spring is well-nigh unwound ;
Was it worth while to mutter a sad damn,
Because, either way, Failure we found ?
Nay, truly, though foot-sore and weary
Both pilgrims may long for their rest,
Sloth we conquer' d, 'tivixt Goblin and Feri :
Whether paid or un-paid, Work ivas best.
— Laborare est Orare : Trowbesk MSS.
KAMATIC IMPERSONATIONS have been
popular since the earliest days of ballads and
songs. When a man begins to sing we need
not make him swear on the Koran or the
Testament that he is not the character he
represents himself to be, and he may assume
whatever virtues or vices are in keeping with
the part. Descendants of the earlier Civil-
war fanatics, ' zealous congregations,' showed
more favour to dreary sententiousness than to
rollicking fun or the tender sentiment of love-
ditties : all the vendors of penny broadsides knew where to find
such cattle, and how to profitably disperse their pedlar-wares. This
the multitude of extant ' Godly Warnings ' amply proves. _ Such
heavy articles, howsoever insincerely fabricated, found a rapid sale
VOL. VII. K
2 What the Trades have to offer here, of Ballads.
among our unctuous hypocrites or acrid Puritans, and perhaps
neither camp yet lacks followers. The singer assumed a double
mask. Sometimes he chose to be a repentant Prodigal ; sometimes
the Prodigal's aggrieved and pious father who rebuked his unre-
pentant son, but displayed a close acquaintance with all his haunts
of vice, without the fellow-feeling making him wondrous kind.
His favourite attitude appeared to be standing on the ladder of the
gallows, making a last dying speech and confession of past wicked-
ness. This gave grand opportunities for histrionic details and
exhortation. He might be a Highwayman, an unfortunate apprentice
like George Barnwell who had gone wrong after 'the Dolly-mops,'
or even a 'German Princess' like Mary Carleton: to all of whom we
shall listen in these pages. At the very least, he could pretend
to be an Expiring Christian, in the strong odour of sanctity ; even
a ' Clerk of Bodmin ' (as on p. 40) : Cornwall being always prone
to sanctimoniousness, a Truro-rural county, whose turbulent miners
delve for Tin and Theology in darkened underground explorations,
with their own worldliness and other-worldliness discomforted.
With a " Group of Trades and or Sports " we begin this final
volume of ^ftoilmrghc ISallabs : a second special group of the Seamen
and Sailors coming a little later. Sometimes the tradesmen bemoan
the ' Hardness of the Times ' (but when were the times such as
could he wished ? the laws of supply and demand are enforced with
the suffering of the many and the gain of the few). They enquire,
" Oh ! where are now those golden Springs, [miep. "times."
"When Gold was counted [with] needless things ?
None loved his Neighbour for a self [ish] end,
But once and always stood his friend.
Yet now, through want, times altered are,
Each in himself is a Man of "War,
Trading being dead and Money scant,
Is the subject of this sad Complaint" [vide, p. 4.
The Pedlars and petty Chapmen, who were the flying stationers
of their day, utter a ' Sorrowful Lamentation,' declaring that " The
times are grown hard, more harder than stone." One London
tradesman laments the prodigality of his wife, to the ironically
incongruous tune of The Spinning Wheel. On the other hand, we
find the handicrafts rejoicing in their various callings, whether it
be a 'Clothier's Delight' or a ' Shoe-maker's Delight; ' they seek
enjoyment, in ' The Boyal Recreation of Jovial Anglers.' In contrast
with a sorrowful citizen, befooled and pummelled by a ' Courageous
Ploughman,' or a 'Braggadocio Gentleman' confuted in dialogue
when he hears ' The Honest Tradesman's Honour Vindicated '
(for which see our p. 37), we have the always-welcome praise of pure
'Country Innocence' by 'The Happy Husbandman,' who sings,
' My young Mary does mind her dairy ; ' the ' Faithful Young
Farmer's hearty wooing of his Nanny ; ' ' The Plowman's Answer
"A Gentle KNIGHT was pricking on the Piaine." 3
to the Milk-maid's Delight,' and ' The Innocent Country Maid's
Delight' in her description of the happiness attendant on those
"Who carry the Milking-pail " (see for two, pp. 29, 27). We
have also the stalwart deeds recorded of ' Three Worthy Butchers
of the North,' who might have been safely summoned on a
Jury. Are there not a ' West-country Weaver,' a ' Jovial Pedlar,'
a ' St. Giles's Broker,' seeking to buy a green goose and getting it
very green indeed ; each and all songful, willing to relate the
experience of their lives for our behoof ? What more can any one
demand as a beginning ? After this orchestral tuning of the fiddles,
let the curtain be drawn, the play begin, and everything go
smoothly till the end of our Seventh Volume. Pew of the Editor's
early companions, Old Stagers, may survive to give it a plaudite,
but those who quit their seats early should transfer their pass-out
checks to Executors, helping us with necessary subscriptions.
This fikst 'ffiroup of GTratieg anti Sports' is
DEDICATED,
En SCffecttmiate SEgteem,
To One -whose Knowledge of our English Drama is that of a
Scholar, unrivalled also in recognising the excellence
of Acting, with competent judgment of the trained
Critic ; generously according praise where
praise may be deserved j never unkind
or unjust, when constrained
to condemn.
rpKHO UGH rain and sleet, where wild winds rage and moil,
-^ On many a cheerless road, men journeying fret,
Jaded, till from thy hand warm clasp they get,
Old Friend .' whom Time and Chance lack power to spoil.
Soon Shuffling-off their weary mortal-coil,
Even as they flung hence garments soiled or wet,
Pleased to have paid in full stern Nature's debt,
Haste they to climes where none shall grieve or toil.
Keep on thy way ! secure of love and praise,
Never repining, while our tvorld may wag ;
Is there one grudges thee thy blithesome days ?
Good- Fellowship can nowhere pine or flag
Holding thy genial presence, that out-weighs
Ten-fold each prize in Fortune's Lucky-Bag .
7.viii.l88&. J- W. E.
[Boxburghe Collection, II. 454. Apparently unique.]
Cl)e Qxabtsman's Complaint
CUpon tf)t ^aromas of tge ^imeg, SDeaomag of ^raor,
atto §>carc«p of apomp*
Wherein he sighs and makes great moan,
How trading is (almost) fled and gone :
He intreats all men, in each degree,
To help in this his want and misery.
To the Tl-ne of, In Summer time, etc. ; or, Phancie's Phoenix}
OH where are now those golden [Springs], ['these . . times.'
When gold was counted [with] needless things?
None loved his neighbour for a self [ish] end,
But once and always stood his friend :
But now through want times altered are,
Each in himself a man of War :
Trading being dead and money scant,
Is the subject of this sad Complaint. 8
The time has been, that in this land,
A man's word was as good as his band:
The time is now as you may see,
New Faith hath kill'd Old Honesty :
1 On the many ballads beginning "In Summer-time," see pp. 274, 283, 570,
745, 789, 790 of vol. vi., and the 'Robin Hood Group' in this vol. vii. But
Phancie's Phoenix, i.e. Fancie's Phoenix, is given on pp. 42-45, beginning " Come,
all you Bachelors," with ' Fancie's Favourite '=" Come, come away, you
maidens fair," written by C. H., to the same tune. Query, the C.H. of vi. 323 ?
The Tradesman's Complaint of Hard Times. 5
There is so much hatred one to th' other,
That there is none that loves his brother :
Oh all good men of each degree,
Learn to live in Love and Unity. 1 6
The time has been in this city round
A man might in a morning take a pound :
The time is now, though in 's shop he stay,
Yet scarce takes twelve pence all the day :
Trading's so dead, and money scant,
Is subject of this sad complaint :
Oh all good men of each degree,
Eedress our Countrie's misery. 24
The times have been, what tradesmen gain'd,
Hath decently their charge maintain'd ;
The time is now, through trade's decay,
In street they beg, oh well-a-day !
Trading is so dead, and money scant,
Is subject of this sad complaint :
Oh all good men of each degree,
Help to redress our misery. 32
The time has been, each Rich Man's door
"Was seldom shut against the poor ;
The time is now, some wives go fine,
They care not though the begger pine :
Trading being dead makes times so hard,
Poor people cry without regard :
Oh all good men of each degree,
Help to regard our misery. 40
In elder times it was, indeed,
The Rich would help the poor man's need :
The time is now, so themselves be serv'd,
They care not if poor people be starv'd :
Trading being dead, makes times so hard,
The Rich the poor do not regard :
Oh all good men of each degree,
Help to redress our misery. 48
For dearth of trade all men complain,
How can poor men their Charge maintain ?
Hardness of times makes many rue,
How can we give Caesar his due ?
Money's so scant through trade's decay,
"Which makes poor tradesmen sigh and say,
1 ' Oh all good men of each degree,
Help to release our misery. ," 56
6 The Tradesman* 's Complaint of Hard Times.
The Courtier he complains for gold ;
To whom the tradesmen wares hath sold,
And having run so on his score,
He's forced, alas ! to shut up door :
Times being so hard through trade's decay,
It makes poor tradesmen sigh and say,
" Oh all good Men of each degree,
Help us in our necessity / " 64
The poor Country-Man he doth complain
Of the loss of his cattle and grain,
Rents being so dear, and money scant,
Makes him mourn forth this sad complaint :
Which makes him sigh and make great moan,
Whose grief would melt a heart of stone :
" Oh all good men of each degree,
Help, help us in our poverty." 72
That trade may flourish here again,
That plenty may amongst us raign,
That great men's charity may show,
And pay poor men what they do owe :
It is my prayer, and let all men
To this Petition, say, Amen !
Oh all good men of each degree,
Learn to live in Love and Unity. 80
jftnfs.
Printed for J. Counters, neer the Marshalsee in Southwark.
[In Black-letter, -with three woodcuts. 1st, the Blacksmiths, on p. 4 ; 2nd, two
men alternately beating a coil of hemp ; 3rd, the men as on p. 7. Date, c. 1682.]
Che Clothier's Delight.
PEOPLE ignorantly suppose that the "Sweating system" is a modern inno-
vation. This satirical ballad offers evidence to the contrary. It claims
to be a song of triumph, celebrating " The Clothiers' Delight " at their own
prosperity, but it does not redound to their credit, if we read between the
lines. The Drapers' Company is one of the most generous among our many
excellent City Guilds (none dearer to us personally than the Worshipful Company
of the Tallow Chandlers on Dowgate-Hill, whose guest we have often had the
honour to be). But the ballad is bitterly in disparagement of the Master-
Clothiers, representing them as exacting, greedy, selfish, and oppressive to
their poor workpeople. We see no reason to doubt the truth of the ballad
in regard to the City men of 1682. Capitalists were the same at all times.
%* Tunes named: 1st, " Jenny, come tye my bonny Cravat /" is the burden of
an amatory ballad, beginning, "As Johnny met Jenny a going one day," to
which Roxb. Coll., II. 420, is the sequel or " Second Part of the new Scotch
Jigg ; or, Jenny's reply to Johnny1 s Cravat." This begins, "As Jenny sate
under a sycamore tree." 2nd, Fackinyton's Found, see vol. vi. p. 331. 3rd,
Monk hath confounded, see vol. vi. pp. 136, 137.
[Eoxburghe Collection, IV. 35. Apparently Unique.]
Ct)e Clotlner'0 2Dettgt)t :
£)r, Z$z Kicg spnt'sS Sfop, ano tge poor flpm'0 §>ottoto*
Mfymin tg cjpregt tge craftiness ant) subtiltp of
manp Clotgtergs m England, op beating ooton tgfic
^orfe-men^ toages*
Combers, Weavers, and Spinners, for little gains,
Doth earn their money by taking of hard pains.
To the Tune of, Jenny, come tye my [bonny Cravat], etc., Packing ton's Pound,
or, Monk hath confounded, etc. [For Note on tunes, see p. 6.]
OF all sorts of callings, that in England be,
There is none that liveth so gallant as we ;
Our Trading maintains us as brave as a knight,
We live at our pleasure, and taketh delight :
We heap up [of] riches and treasure great store, ["neapeth."
"Which we get by griping and grinding the poor.
And this is a way for to fill up our purse,
Although we do get it icith many a curse. 8
Throughout the whole kingdom, in country and town,
There is no danger of our Trade going down,
So long as the Comber can work with his Comb,
And also the Weaver weave in his Lomb : [=Loom.
The Tucker and Spinner, who spins all the year,
We will make them to earn their wages full dear.
And this is the ivay [for to fill up our purse'], etc. 16
8 The Clothiers' Delight, and subtlety.
In former ages we us'd to give,
So that our work -folks like farmers did live ;
But the times are altered, we will make them know
All we can for to hring them all under our bow :
"We will make them to work hard for sixpence a day,
Though a shilling they deserve if they had their full pay.
And this is the way [for to fill up our Purse], etc. 24
And first for the Combers, we will bring them down
From eight-groats a score unto half a Crown :
If at all they murmur, and say 'tis too small,
We bid them cho[o]se whether they will work at all.
We'l make them believe that Trading is bad,
We care not a pin, though they are ne'r so sad.
And this is the way [for to fill up our Purse], etc. 32
We'l make the poor Weavers work at a low rate,
We'l find fault where's no fault, and so we will bate :
If trading grows dead, we will presently show it ;
But if it grows good, they shall never know it :
We'l tell them that Cloath beyond sea will not go,
We care not whether we keep cloathing or no.
And this is the way [for to fill up our Purse], etc. 40
Then next for the Spinners we shall ensue,
We'l make them spin three pound instead of two ;
When they bring home their work unto us, they complain
And say that their wages will not them maintain :
But if that an ounce of weight they do lack,
Then for to bate three pence we will not be slack.
And this is the way [for to fill up our Purse], etc. 48
But if it holds weight, then their wages they crave,
We have got no money, and what's that you'd have ?
We have bread and bacon, and butter that's good,
With oatmeal and salt, that is wholesome for food ;
We have sope and candles whereby to give light,
That you may work by them so long as you have sight.
And this is the way \_for to fill up our Purse], etc. 56
We will make the Tucker and Shereman understand
That they with their wages shall never buy land ;
Though heretofore they have been lofty and high,
Yet now we will make them submit humbly ;
We will lighten their wages as low as maybe,
We will keep them under in every degree.
And this is the way [for to fill up our Purse], etc. 64
The Clothiers' .Delight, and subtlety. 9
W hen we go to Market, our workmen are glad ;
But when we come home, then we do look sad,
"We sit in the corner as if our hearts did ake,
"We tell them 'tis not a penny we can take :
We plead poverty before we have need,
And thus we do coaks them most bravely indeed.
And this is the way \_for to fill up our Purse'], etc. 72
But if to an ale-house they customers be,
Then presently with the ale-wife we agree,
"When we come to a reckoning, then we do crave
Two-pence on a shilling, and that we will have ;
By such cunning ways we our treasure do get,
For it is all fish that doth come to our net.
And this is the way \_for to fill up our Purse], etc. 80
And thus we do gain all our wealth and estate,
By many poor men that works early and late ;
If it were not for those that do labour full hard,
"We might go and hang our selves without regard :
The Combers, and "Weavers, and Tuckers also,
"With the Spinners that worketh for wages full low :
By these people's labours we fill up our Purse, etc. 88
Then hey for the Cloathing-trade, it goes on brave ;
"We scorn for to toyl and moyl, nor yet to slave ;
Our Workmen do work hard, but we live at ease,
We go when we will, and come when we please :
We hoard up our bags of silver and gold,
But conscience and charity with us is cold.
By poor people 's labour we fill up our purse,
Although we do get it with many a curse.
Jtnts.
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright and J. Clarice.
[In Black-letter, -with three woodcuts. The 1st (left) is in vol. vi. on p. 163,
left ; the 2nd on our p. 7 ; the 3rd, right (a poor copy, mutilated of his wings,
symbolical of his name, Heneage Finch) is on p. 517 of Bagford Ballads :
the original caricature belonged to 1640, and reappears complete in "The
Dainty Damsel's Dream " on a later page. In the first stanza " taketh " was
misprint for take : So with • heapeth ' and ' worketh.'' Date of ballad, circa 1679.
Oppressive and purse-proud clothiers, whose workmen complained of them, would
be the very people to hunt down debtors with "Bailiffs and their Dogs " as in
the next ballad, which belongs to the same date, 1679, or a few months later.]
Ti
10
against bailiffs; ann tbeir Dogs.
JEfte ^ott'x Steam.
" If there were Dreams to sell,
Merry and sad to tell,
And the Crier rung the hell,
What would you buy ? "
— T. L. Beddoes, Dream-Pedlary.
HERE is so much conventicle bitterness in this odd ballad, with
its incidental railing against an Old-Street " Play-house AVench "
(worthy of a bigotted Cirencestrian Winterbotham in later days),
that one might imagine some Praise-God Barebones had indited
it before the rebellion and civil-wars. But all the evidence attain-
able combines to show the date of it to have been 1679, or at the latest
September, 1680. Philip Brooksby's name as publisher is on our
Koxburghe broadside, his period being 1672-1695 ; the woodcut was
a late copy (after the fire of 1666), representing Prince Rupert
and his dog ' Boy ' ; the tune of Sawney points to a song beginning
" Sawney was tall and of noble race," written by Tom D'Urfey
for his "Virtuous Wife," Actiii., which was acted in 1679, a song
imitated speedily and politically parodied in disparagement of
Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby, as "The Disloyal Favourite,"
beginning " Tommy was a Lord of high renown " (for which see
pp. 85-89 of our reprinted Roxburghe Ballads, vol. iv.), a scathing
jibe from the Shaftesbury faction. The prayer for a fresh parliament
soon to be given to the nation, with the sanctimonious flattery
applied to the first Lord Shaftesbury and the Earl of Essex in our
final stanza, as being " Christian-Peers that may right our wrong,
when Heaven yields up a Parliament," serve to indicate precisely
the unquiet time immediately preceding the calling of Charles II. 's
fourth parliament. Summoned in October, 1679, but prorogued on
26 January and 15 April next year, it did not actually meet and
begin stormily its discontented work until October 21, 1680. "We
refer readers back to our account of the successive parliaments, their
difficulties and their gross faults, already given in the introduction
to " Long-looked-for Come at Last," in vol. iii. pp. 189-196.
Taken thus, in connection with the political disaffection, the present
ballad becomes doubly interesting, descriptive of the time.
It may be well, since it is often mentioned in ballad-literature, to
give Tom D'Urfey' s Anglo-Scottish song complete, on p. 14. The
music to it was composed by his friend Thomas Farmer : it is printed
in Fills to Purge Melancholy, i. 316, 1719 edition; Playford's Choice
Ayres, iii. 9, 1681 ; and Gha-p-peWs Popular Music of the Olden Time,
p. 620. D'Urfey has it in his New Collection of Songs, p. 39, 1683.
11
[Roxburghe Coll., II. 254 ; Pepys, IV. 302 ; Huth, II. 56 ; Jersey, I. 73.]
Cl)e j&oet's SDream:
©r, Che <3xtRt ©ut^ctg ano £amentafjle Complaint of tlje 3Lanb
against
Bapitffs anD ti)etr SDogs.
WLtyxzin its Eiptessea tljeir Uillanous ©ut=rages to poor fHen.
OTtft a &rue Hesctiptton of their Itna&erg ano tljctr ©elmuch'o
Actions ; pusctiueo ano pusEnteo to the ineto of all people.
To the Tune of, Saiony \ioill ne'er he my Love again\ etc.
AS I lay slumbering in a Dream,
Methought the world most strangely went ;
The Bayliffs on High Seats was seen,
Which caus'd the Poor's great discontent.
They pluckt true Justice from the Throne,
Erecting Laws was made of their own,
And burthen'd the Poor till they made them groan,
And that's the cause that the Land complains.
12 The Poet's Bream, of Bailiffs and their Dogs.
Their meeting-house was an ale-wives bench,
Fix'd in a Street that is termed Old ; [Old street.
Their Speaker was an a Play-house-Wench,
Both whore and thief, and a devilish scold.
She'd guzzel brandy, wine, or ale,
And then she'd at her neighbours rail,
And send for the BaylifFs to have them to Jayl,
And that's the cause that the Zand complains. 16
Methoughts a mighty Hunting-match,
Was made by Bayliffs and their Currs ;
Poor men was the deer they strove to catch,
The houses plac'd in the room of f urrs : [i.e. Firs.
The suburbs-round it was their park,
The BaylifFs yell, the dogs did bark,
The poor kept as close as Noah in the Ark,
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 24
Then Shephard and his dog wheel'd up to th' right,
And thunder'd by a cursed lane,
And there the villains wrought their spight,
For by them once was a poor man slain :
They swear, before they'l ever lack,
They'l go to hell a pick-a-pack,
And thus poor Debtors they go to rack,
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 32
There's cursing Will and davame-Jack,
And Bobbin' Turner's alive agen ;
And paunchgut-.ZW (a hellish pack),
With perjur'd-Z>«c& and bawdy Ben :
Which formerly on earth did dwell,
And now they are return'd from Hell,
And doth against our Laws rebell,
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 40
When I awaked from my Dream,
Methoughts the World turn'd upside down,
And in great haste, I writ this theam,
For the Bayliffs' Dogs of our town :
Who for their prey each hour do wait,
Like death at every poor man's gate,
And brings the Bealm to a dismal fate,
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 48
When poor men are out of employ,
And have not a farthing in the world,
The while there wives and children cry,
There's many are in a prison hurl'd.
The Poet's Dream, of Bailiffs and their Dogs. 13
Men are enticed by the Bumms, ll-e- Bum-Bailifife.
Who swear they ne'r will pay their summs ;
Thus poor in flocks to the Jaylor comes ;
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 56
The Tally-man, curmudgeon keeps
A Baylif and his Dog to bite ;
If in their books men ever creeps,
They quickly swear they'l have their right ;
So soon as e're they do backslide,
The torturing Jale they must abide,
Then Toby and [his] dog's employ'd ;
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 64
"When rogues are at the Old Bayly burn'd, Lbumt in the hand,
And that their pilfering trades do fail ;
From Thieves to Bayliffs-dogs have turn'd,
To plague and hurry the Poor to jayl :
How like kid-nappers all the day
In every corner they survey,
And quaff whole bowls when they get the[ir pay,]
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 72
Ten groats the fees, and a crown the [bed,
And three round ooo's for a writ beside ;
Thus laws are broken, and poor men d[read [mutilated.
Such racking torments they must abide.
And while the Prisoner sends for bail,
They tope the brandy, beer, and ale,
And makes him pay, or they have him to [jayl :
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 80
For twenty shillings, ten, or five,
They'l put a man to a cursed Charge ;
Or run him to Jayl they'l soon contrive,
Where other bills are exprest at large :
The Jayl-fees many are bound to rue,
The garnish, bed, and Turn-key too,
Expects an unexpected due ;
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 88
Your Moore-field mobbs, and Whetstone-w . . . *
Has Bayliffs and their Dogs for friends ;
When lustful youth pays Venus' scores,
Those spunging Pimps the house attends.
1 Mutilated. "Whetstone -Park, an ill-famed locality between Holborn and
Lincoln's- Inn- Fields, has been mentioned in our Amanda Group of Bagford
Poems. A Ballad in Harleian MS. 6913, fol. 59, begins, "In a famous street
near Whetstone'' s-Park, where there's commonly fiddles as soon as 'tis dark," etc.
14 D'Urfey's Original ' Sawney was tall, and of noble race.'
If cullies fight in a drunken fit,
Away goes Toby's dog for a Writ,
Thus many falls in the Bayliff's pit,
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 96
"lis seldom a BaylifT, or his dog,
Is ever known for to go to church ;
As soon as they hear the Word of God,
They leave the parson in the lurch :
They swear they'l come to church no more,
They lay their sins to Adam's score,
And jaunts to Moorfields to a whore :
And that's the cause that the Land complains. 104
Thus I conclude and end my Song,
Desiring that you wou'd be content :
There's Christian-Peers that may right our wrong
When Heaven yields up a Parliament :
I hope true reason will plead our cause,
While they'r erecting wholesome laws,
They'l keep us from the Crocodil's paws :
And cease the Poor of the Land's complaints. 112
jFim'g.
Printed for P. Broohsly at the Golden Ball, near the Bear Tavern.
[Black-letter. "Woodcut of Prince Rupert and 'Boy,' p. 11. Date, before October,
1680. The Bear- Tavern was in Pye- Corner, Smithjield.]
3Lettfc£'s Song. iSairjncg'g Neglect.
(Sung in " The Virtuous Wife,'" 1679.)
SAWNEY was tall and of Noble race, and lov'd me better tban any eane ;
But now he ligs by another Lass, and Sawney will ne'er be my Love agen.
I gave him fine Scotch sark and band, I put 'em on with mine own hand ;
I gave him House and I gave him Land, Yet Saivney will ne'er be my Love agen.
I robb'd the groves of all their store, and nosegays made to give Sawney one ;
He kiss'd my breast and feign would do mere, Geud feth ! me-thought he was a
bonny one :
He squeez'd my fingers, grasp'd my knee, and carv'd my name on each green tree,
And sigh'd and languish'd to lig by me, Yet now he wo1 not be my Love agen.
My Bongrace and my sun-burnt face he prais'd. and also my Russet Gown ;
But now he doats on the Copper Lace of some leud Quean of London Town :
He gangs and gives her Curds and Cream, whilst I poor soul sit sighing at heam,
And ne'er 'joy Sawney unless in a Dream, for now he ne'er will be my Love agen.
[By Tom D'TJrfey. Seep. 10.]
A pleasanter ' Dream ' was Lettice's, no doubt, than ' The Poet's Dream of
Bailiffs and their Dogs.' There are indications of private grievance of the self-
styled 'Poet' against the sundry-adjectived Will, Jack, Turner, Tom, Dick
and Ben, but we suppose that ' Toby and his dog ' may fairly represent a class
(as John Doe and Richard Roe), not a simple individual Toby, like Tobias
Bowne, whose 'Advice ' and 'Experience we reach in our ' Matrimonial Group.'
15
*»* A Eoxburghe Ballad, " Jenny's Answer to Sawney," sequel to Tom
D' Urfey's song, to the same tune, is from the same publisher, Philip Brooksby.
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 223 ; Jersey Coll., II. 154.]
Jennie's ^nsfoer to Sainnrj;
OTtfjerem 3Loae's (Erueltrj is wquitetr; or, 2H)e inconstant ILober:
justlg ©esptseo.
Being a Relation how Sawney being disabled and turn'd out of doors by the Miss
of London town, is likewise scorned and rejected by his Country Lass and
forced to wander where he may.
[Sawny] at last, in a most woful case, [misp. " Jenny.1''
Is forced to leave the patch' d and painted face ;
For money there rules all, and when 'tis gone
The cully is no longer waited on :
Down to his Jenny he does hye with speed,
But she remembers his Ungrateful deed ;
Nor will forgive, though on his knees he fall,
So mortify'd he is despis'd by all.
To the Tune of, Sawney will ne,r be my Love again.
WHEN Sawny left me he had store of gilt, but he hath spent it in London town,
And now is return'd to his Sun-burn'd face, his own dear Joy in a Russet
Gown :
He is come for another Sark and band, and coakses me for more of my coin,
But I'se 'guid-faith, shall hold my hand; For SA WNY shall nevermore be mine.
Sawny rid home on a Running Nagg, and fain wou'd he have me gang to the shade ;
But never was Scot in such a case with riding upon a London Jade.
But now he repents o' th' Painted-face, and bans the lewd Queans of London fine,
He fain wou'd have let his Nag run a race, But SA WNY shall never more be mine.
He now would angle in my fish-pond, to quench those flames that scorch him so ;
And wou'd put it in with his own hand, but let him gang where the North-winds
blow.
I'se be content with my former Dream, nor at his absence will I repine ;
No more will I'se taste of his Curds and Cream, For SA WNY never more shall
be mine.
But yet methought that I'se was sad, to see poor Sawny look so forlorn ;
To think what glee I'se once from him had, and that I'se shou'd now his kind-
ness scorn.
Guid faith ! he look[t] both pale and wan, repenting that he had been so unkind ;
And beg'd of me for a Sark and band ; But SA WNY shall never more be mine.
He told me he wou'd be now my Slave, and never more see London Town,
But ganging with me shou'd think it brave, take more delight in my Russet Gown
Than in that filthy Copper-Lace that covers Harlots void of grace,
Pox'd and patch' d with an Impudent face : But SA WNY shall never more be mine.
Guid faith ! I'se keep close my two-leav'd Book, I'se will not trust him to gang
between ; [Quean.
Lest my Fish-pond is spoil'd with his hook, because he hath ligg'd with a London
16
Jennie's Answer to Sawney's Inconstancy.
She having gull'd him of all his store, [and] bid him to gang and seek for more,
Now he's return'd both niaim'd and poor : But SA WNY shall never mo be mine.
Tho' he shew'd me the gay green Tree, on which he oft had carv'd my name ;
"Whilst Primroses I'se pluck'd hard by, and made him Nosegays of the same :
Guid faith ! I'se smile to see him weep, because his promise he did not keep,
But with a Miss o' th' Town did sleep : Yet SA WNY shall never more be mine.
I'se bid him gang, from whence he came, and to the London Mort declare,
He had wrong' d me, and cou'd not for shame to me for House or Land repair :
He told me that she was muckle Fag, for when he had emptied his bag,
She sent him home with a running nagg : Yet SA WNY shall never more be mine.
And that he did intreat her still, but she was cruel and would not bear,
Swearing she would poor Saivny kill, if that he stayed any longer there ;
Thus any e'ne may plainly see, what he got by leaving of me,
And what the Queans of London be : Yet SA WNY shall never more be mine.
Thus may the Lasses see how I paid him for his base inconstancy,
"Who for to ride on a London jade, cockt up his Bonnet and gang'd from me.
For which I shall requite him now, and no more of his kindness allow,
But let him gang home to his father's plow, for SA WNY shall never more be mine.
Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden-Ball, near the Hospital-Gate in
West-Smithfield.
[In Black-letter, with three woodcuts. Date, probably, 1679-80. The Scotch
Lass thought disparagingly of the " London Queans and foul Traders."
Similarly an English " Innocent Country Maid" tells her scorn for wickedness
and her delight in rural happiness on p. 27. The cuts are the Scot of p. 26
and the ' painted face ' below ; also two figures, Bay ford Ballads, p. 174.]
17
[Roxburghe Coll., III. 592 ; Bagford, I. 54 ; Euing, 351, etc. ; see Note.']
a Ctue (E&aracter of suntirp Crane? anD Calling
©r, a Nefo Bt'ttg of innocent JHfrtfj.
This Song is new, perfect and True, there's none can this deny ;
For I am known, Friend, to be One that scorns to tell a Lie.
%>
To the Tune of, Old Sir Simon the King.
Licensed according to Order.
12
NOw Gentlemen, sit you all merry, I'll sing you a song of a Want ;
I'll make you as merry as may be, tho' Money begins to grow scant.
A "Woman without e'er a Tongue, she never can scold very loud ;
'Tis just such another great want when a Fidler wants his Crowd. [Note, p. 18
[Good people, I tell unto you, these lines they are absolute new ;
For I hate and despise the telling of Lies : this Ditty is merry and true."]
A Ship that's without e'er a Sail may be driven the Lord knows whither ;
'Tis just such another sad want, when a Shooe-maker wants his Leather.
. A man that has got but one legg will make but a pitiful Runner ;
And he that has no Eyes in his Head will make but a sorrowful Gunner.
Good people, I tell unto you, etc.
A Doctor without any Stomack will make but a pittyful Dinner,
And he that has got no victuals to eat will quickly look thinner and thinner.
A Bell without ever a clapper will make but a sorrowful sound ;
And he that has no Land of his own must work on another man's Ground.
Good people, etc.
A Black-smith without any bellows, he need not to rise very soon ;
And he that's no Cloaths to put on may lie in bed till it's noon.
An Innkeeper without any custom will never get store of pelf ;
And if he has ne'r a Sign to hang up, may e'en go hang up himself.
Good people, etc.
A Miller without any stones, he is but a sorrowful Soul,
And if he had no Corn to grind, he need not stand talcing of Toll.
The Taylor we know he is loth to take any Cabbige at all,
If he has no silk, stuff or cloath, to do that good office withal.
Good people, etc.
vol. tii. c
24
18 True Character of sundry Trades and Callings.
A Woman without e'er a fault she like a bright Star will appear,
[And] a Brewer without any mault will make but pitiful Beer, [' But,' Boxb.
A Man that has got but one Shirt, when e'er it is wash'd for his hide,
I hope it can be no great hurt to lye in his Bed till 'tis dry*d.
Good people, [I tell unto you these lines they are absolute New ;] etc. 36
A Mountebank without his fools, and a Skip-kennel turn'd out of place,
A Tinker without any tools, they are all in a sorrowful case.
You know that a dish of good Meat it is the true stay of Man's life ;
But he that has nothing to eat he needs not to draw out his knife.
Good people, etc.
A Pedlar without e'er a Stock [ = Pack], it makes him look pittiful blew ;
A Shepherd without e'er a flock, has little or nothing to do ;
A Farmer without any corn, he neither can give, sell, or lend ;
A Huntsman without e'er a horn, his Wife she must stand his best friend.
Good people, etc. 48
A Ploughman that has ne'er a plough, I think may live at his ease ;
A Dairy without e'er a cow will make bad butter and cheese ;
A man that is pittiful poor has little or nothing to lose,
And he that has never a foot, it saves him the buying of shooes.
Good people, etc.
A Warren without e'er a Coney is barren, and so much the worse ;
And he that is quite without money can have no great need of a purse.
I hope there are none in this place that now are displeas'd with my song.
Come buy up my Ballads apace, and I'll pack up my awls and be gone.
Good people, I tell unto you, these lines are absolute new,
For I hate and despise the telling of Lies, this Bitty is merry and true.
[The Koxburghe copy is in white-letter, modern, with a small woodcut of a town
church, but without any publisher's name, division of stanzas, or burden of
" Good people," etcetera. A better exemplar is in the Bagford Collection,
with three small cuts (I. 54 ; also Euing, No. 351), printed for Philip Brooksby
at the Golden-Ball, Pye- Corner. Marked "To the Tune of, Old Simon the
King, and with the burden-motto (following the title), printed as four lines,
This song is neiv, and perfect true, There's none can this deny ;
For I am known, friend, to be One that scorns to tell a Lye.
We follow this Bagford instead of the Roxburghe, except in a few cases, must
for may ; pelf for wealth ; and are for is, in final stanza. Another copy is at
the British Museum, C. 22, c. 2, 166 verso. It is reprinted in Pills to Purge
Melancholy, 1719, vol. iv. p. 49, following 'The Reformed Drinker,' and to
the same Tune. See, our vol. vi. pp. 276, 317. Date, circd 1672-1684.]
*** A Crowde, mentioned in the first stanza, was a small fiddle used by
wandering musicians, larger than a Dancing-master's Kit. Hence the name
Croicdero borne by the Fiddler (one Jackson, the original), in Butler's immortal
burlesque of Hudibras, 1662. {Crowd is not here = an assemblage. See also p. 69.)
" I' th' head of all this warlike rabble
Crowdero march' d expert and able.
Instead of trumpet and of drum,
That makes the warrior's stomach come . .
A squeaking engine he applied
Unto his neck, on north-east side,
Just where the hangman does dispose,
To special friends, the knot of noose."
—Hudibras, Part 1, Canto 2, 1. 105.
ID
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 383 ; Euing, No. 236 ; Jersey, I. 322.]
Cfje ISafceD Ctutb ;
@r, a RTe&j .Song foit^out a 3Lge.
Tune of, Old Simon the King ; or, The Character of sundry Trades and Callings.
TPHo' Trading we find in the City, and many more places, is bad.
_L Yet here I will sing a fine ditty, we'd as good be merry as sad :
Of several Trades I will treat, and will with the Butcher begin,
With what kind of Trade shall he meet, if he has neither carcass nor skin ?
All you that are noiv in this throng, I reckon to do you no wrong,
Believe me, I pray, by yea and by nay, there is not a lye in this Song.
A Weaver without loom or shuttle, like one out of use, may lye by,
A Tinker without any mettal no woman will ever imploy :
A Cobler without St. Hugh's bones, he cannot mend old, or make new, [c/- P- 35-
A Favier without any stones, oh, what is he able to do ?
All you that are now in this Throng, etc. 12
A Man that is quite moneyless, thro' crowds he in safety may pass,
A Cook that hath no meat to dress, he need not stand making of sawce.
A Taylor without e're a yard, his bndkin, goose, thimble and sheers,
You'll find that he is as muchmarr'd as if he had lost both his ears: All you, etc.
A Fisherman without a net, you know he can catch but a few,
But yet his good wife she will fret when ever she wants of her due :
The jolly brisk Baker is one, to whom the young Lasses do troule,
So that he is clearly undone if he has not a Rusling-pole : [?«■ ruffling
All you that are now, etc. 24
The Miller's for taking to task the mistress or Gillian the maid,
The Cooper without hoops or cask, he cannot well follow his trade :
The Poet without e're a Muse can never make Sonnets compleat ;
A Footman without pumps or shoes will certainly blister his feet : All you, etc.
A Scrivener without ink or pen, his bonds and his letters can't write,
A Captain that lost all his men, will have but small stomach to fight.
The man that shall marry for gold, and brings home a Shrew to his bed,
Both morning, noon, night she will scold, and still have a noise in her head.
All you that are now, etc. 36
The Chimney-sweeper pray don't scoff, for if he hath shackles and poles,
He'll call to the maids each morn, to scoure and cleanse their black holes :
That man that is naked indeed, he is not like Taylors, and those,
For tho' he has ne're so much need, he is not for pawning his cloaths. All you,etc.
A Gallant that has a good coat, 'twill help him out at a dead lift,
A Sculler that has ne'r a boat, he fears not running a drift ;
Some Sharpers a calling does use, 'tis robbing Rich Men of their store,
But he that has nothing to loose, he needs not a watch at his door.
All you that are now, etc. 48
I ne'r was brought up for to lye, and therefore I tell you the truth,
My ballads I'd have you to buy, they're fit for diversion of youth ;
My pocket with Cole to encrease, let every young-man and maid, [Co?<?=nioney.
Now lay out a penny a piece, and then I shall have a good trade.
All you that are now in this throng, I'll do you no manner of wrong,
Believe me, I pray, by yea and by nay, there is not a lye in this Song.
-flfi'« fa [Colophon lost.
[Euing's and Jersey's were Printed for Josiah Blare, at the Looking-Glass, on
London -Bridge. Two cuts : Spade-and-pick men : given later. Date, circa 1684.]
20
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 227 ; Pepys, IV. 153 ; Huth, II. 59 ; Jersey, II. 7.]
€I)e 3Jtrtnnctble |0rtt>e of Wiomtn;
'Ejje iLonoon 'Craocgman'g ILamcmatton for t&e proot=
galitp of gig Wift, togtcij ootg oatlp pillage §10 |8ur0e*
To the Tune op, The Spinning-Wheel. (See note on p. 21.)
Licensed according to Order.
I Have a Wife, the more's my care, "who like a gaudy peacock goes,
In top-knots, patches, powder'd hair, besides she is the worst of
shrows ;
Thisfillsmy heart with grief and care to think I must this burthenbear.
Note. — In this best of all possible worlds it is difficult or impossible to get on
comfortably without the valuable institution of whipping. ]STemesis is needed.
Even if it does not convert hardened offenders, retributive justice soon makes
them smart, comforts the righteous souls of outsiders, and restores the balance that
had been disturbed. When the London Tradesman had grown rich by iniquities
(such as are indicated mildly in 'The Clothier's Delight,' on our p. 7), it was
soothing to the mind of the ballad-purchaser to remember that the wrong-doer
possessed a wife, who had power and will to make her husband's life miserable,
scattering his wealth among her loose companions, and turning him to ridicule.
The Invincible Pride of Women. 21
It is her forecast to contrive to rise about the hour of Noon,
And if she's trimm'd and rigg'd by five, why this I count is very soon ;
Then goes she to a Ball or Play, to pass the pleasant night away.
And when she home returns again, conducted by a bully spark,
If that I in the least complain, she does my words and actions mark,
And does likewise my gullet tear, then roars like thunder in the air.
I never had a groat with her, most solemnly I here declare ;
Yet she's as proud as Lucifer, and cannot study what to wear :
In sumptuous robes she still appears, while I am forc'd to hide my ears.
The lofty Top-knots on her crown, with which she sails abroad withal,
Makes me with care, alas ! look down, as having now no hope at all,
That ever I shall happy be in such a flaunting Wife as she. 30
In debt with ev'ry shop she runs, for to appear in gaudy pride,
And when the milliner she duns, I then am forc'd my head to hide :
Dear friends, this proud imperious wife she makes me weary of my life.
Sometimes with words both kind and mild I let her know my
wretched state, [great
For which I streightways am revil'd : says she, " I will appear more
Than any merchant's London Dame, tho' thou art ruin'd for the same."
'Tis true she is both fair and young and speaks Italian, Greek and Dutch,
Besides she hath the scolding tongue, which is, in faith, a Tongue
too much ;
I dare not speak nor look awry, for fear of her severity. 48
My worldly glory, joy and bliss, is turn'd to sorrow, grief and care ;
He that has such a Wife as this needs no more torment I declare ;
To buy those trinkets which they lack both stock and credit goe to rack.
There's many more as well as I, in famous London-city fair,
Whose wives with prodigality do fill their husbands' hearts with care.
I pity those with all my heart, since I with them do bear a part.
[In Black-letter, with four woodcuts. 1st, the cavalier, vol. vi. p. 237, left ;
2nd, the prim upright woman of vol. vi. 224, right ; 3rd, a little man, as
in vol. vi. 82 left ; and a crowned lady in an oval wreath, for which see our
p. 26. We substitute another cut from a different ballad of a shrew.
Publisher's name lost from Roxburghe copy. Pepys's printed for Philip
Brooksby, Jonah Beacon, J. Blare, and /. Back. Date of issue, circa 1686-88.]
*** The Tune named for this ballad, The Spinning- Wheel (mentioned also in
vol. iv. p. 77), gains its name from the ' excellent new Tune' belonging to " The
Bonny Scot ; or, the Yielding Lass," Licensed by R. Pocock, 1685-88, beginning,
" As I sate at my Spinning Wheel, a bonny lad there passed by." Reprinted in
our Bagford Ballads, p. 19, 1876. In the same series (pp. 121-4, 930-7), we
had to do with the "Top-Knots" of ribbon (line 25) in female head-gear.
The subject is not exhausted, and deserves a few words at a convenient time.
22
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 513 ; Douce, II. 250 ; Jersey, I. 208.]
Ct)e 22*est Country KUeatier:
(Eontamtmj
$}i& £>orrotoful ILamnitatton foe t£e Jjarogfnp togui) f)t
miOcrgorg op a prouo Imperious Mift: ^ogetger,
tottjj f\i$ Evolution to reclaim ^er op tfie toeU=ap=
prooeo £Dxl of ^oHp.
To the Tune of, If Love's a sweet Passion, &c. [See toI. vi. pp. 31-34.]
Licensed according to Order.
G"\ Ood people, I marry'd a turbulent Wife,
JT "Who with railing has made me quite weary of life ;
Tho' I do my endeavour to give her content,
Yet my labour, alas ! to no purpose is spent :
On her errands, Peel-garlick her husband she sends ; [c/. Nares.
You may see what it is to be marry'd, dear Friends.
When I was a Batch elor gallant and Gay,
Then at stool-ball, or cricket, I freely might play,
Nay, and sometimes with Margery ride to a fair ;
But, alas ! now my head is incumbred with care :
I must tarry at home for to feed my wife's Hens :
You may see what it is to he marry'd, dear Friends. 12
If I an acquaintance do happen to meet,
Any time in the day, as I pass through the street,
And that we for one flaggon together should go,
Strait she comes like a loud and invincible Shrow,
At my noddle the pipe and the flaggon she sends :
You may see what [it is to be marryd, dear Friends].
All Winter betimes I am forced to rise
For to make her a fire and caudle likewise,
Which I bring her each morning with care to her bed,
Which perhaps in her passion she'll fling at my head,
This I often have had to make me amends,
You may see what [it is to be marry'd, dear Friends']. '24
She set me one morning to hang on the pot,
And I needs must acknowledge I clearly forgot
For to put in the water, but saunter'd about
Till the porridge-pot bottom was clearly burnt out :
At my noddle the Ladle she presently sends, [see p. 20.
You may see xohat it is to be marry'd, dear Friends.
The West- Country Wearer's Lamentation. 23
One morning she left me at home to he Nurse,
While she walk'd with her Gallant, whom often I'd curse.
Now as I was sate rocking, and winding of silk,
Oh the cat came and eat up the child's sugar'd milk :
But when this sad disaster was known to my wife,
Honest people, I thought 'twould have cost me my life. 36
Now when she had thrash'd me, up stairs she did go
With her Gallant, and charg'd me to tarry below ;
But I cunningly follow'd, up stairs I did creep,
Ay, and through the key-hole in troth I did peep :
But her Gallant he heard me, and presently swore
He wou'd kick me down stairs, if he came to the door.
With courage I told him, I fear'd not his blows,
I wou'd peep through the keyhole in spite of his nose ;
Then the Spark in a passion his rapier he drew,
Straight away from the door of the chamber I flew ;
For I knowing young Gallants are desperate men :
And thought I, shou'd he kill me, faith where am I then ? 48
I took her to task when the Gallant was gone,
And I said, " Love, consider but what you have done."
It was all that I said, when she flew with disdain,
Ay, and call'd me poor wittal, and cuckold in grain ;
And a three-legged stool at my noddle she sends :
You may see what it is to he marry' d, my Friends.
Before any longer this life I will lead,
I am fully resolv'd to chastise her with speed,
With the sweet Oil of Holly I'll chafe her proud hide,
Which will supple and make her a diligent Bride :
And when thus she's reclaim'd, to the world I will tell
How in love, peace and comfort together we dwell. 60
Printed for C. Bates at the Bible and [Sun, near St. Sepulchre's
Church, in] Pye- Corner.
[In Black-letter, with two woodcuts, single figures, of vol. vi.p. 243. Date, e. 1685.]
Note. — Here comes another husband, with an equally troublesome wife. If we
are to believe his vaunts (which we certainly do not) he is ready to bring her into
subjection with something more curative than St. Jacob's oil, wonderful though
it be. His panacea is the " well-approved Oil of Holly," which needs no three
half-penny licence before use. " And here's the liquor, flask'd and fine, and priced
and saleable at last." [So sang, in his better inspired days, before becoming
intoxicated with Society sycophancy, the poet who links himself in fellowship
with a paltry Tanner, by malignant craving for spitting and kicking on the corpse
or the translated spirit of the genial, accomplished, and well-beloved Edward
Fitzgerald, translator of Omar Khayyam's Rubn'iyat ; and this solely because
' good Fitz ' had deprecated continuations of Aurora Leigh. (See Professor Rob.
Yelverton Tyrrell's honest censure in The Fortnightly Review, August, 1889.)]
24
Cf)0 Jnnocent apil&^aitrs Delig&t
" Stale ballad news, cashiered the city, must now ride post for the country,
where it is no less admired than a Giant in a pageant ; till at last it grows
so common there too, as every poor Milk-maid can chant or chirp it under
her cow, which she useth, as a harmless charm, to make her let down her
milk." — Character of a Ballad-monger ; in Whimzies ; or, A new Cast of
Characters, 1631. [By Ciitus Alexandrinus, alias Kichard Brathwaite.]
I
N the second volume of these Roxburghe Ballads, 1872 (one of
the three early vols., edited by the late William Chappell), on pp.
116-120, preceded by an introductory note on pp. 114, 115, was
reprinted from the unique exemplar Martin Parker's original, ballad
of " The Milke-maid's Life ; or, a pretty new Ditty, composed and
pen'd, The praise of the milking paile to defend." It runs to one
hundred and seventeen half-lines, nine stanzas, each of thirteen
half-lines. The tune is named The Milke-maid's Dumps, and it
begins, " You rural Goddesses that woods and fields possess."
Exactly one quarter of a century earlier it had been reprinted by
John Payne Collier, F.S.A., on pp. 243-248 of his Book of Roxburghe
Ballads, 1847. Mr. Chappell also gave the tune and words in his
Popular Music of the Olden Time, 1855, with motto, pp. 295-298.
Less rare (there being three copies known) is the revival of our
ballad, which was licensed in 1685-88 by Eichard Pocock, and
entitled " The Innocent Country Maid's Delight ; or, A Description
of the Lasses of London." "We give this Milkmaid-Song on p. 27, as
it no less is a Roxburghe Ballad. It commences with an adaptation
of Martin Parker's sixth stanza, "Those lasses, nice and strange,
that keep shops in the Exchange; " the same stanza that is partly
quoted in the 5th edition of The Complete Angler, chapter iv. 1676
(but not in Izaak Walton's first edition, 1653, where it would have
been cap. ii.), preceded by five lines of another ballad by Martin
Parker (' Keep a good Tongue in your Head ' : see Roxb. Ballads,
iii. 237), thus, except that we run on the half lines of Comp. Ang. : —
" I married a wife of late, The more's my unhappy fate ;
I married her for love, As my fancy did me move,
And not for a worldly estate." [Cf Roxb. Coll., I. 512.
4 4 But Oh ! the green-sickness Soon changed her likeness ;
And all her beauty did fail.
But 'tis not so, With those that go,
Through frost and snow, As all men know,
And carry the Milking-Fail." [Cf. Eoxb. Coll., I. 245.
(Whether, as we imagine to have been probable, Izaak Walton
had deliberately changed the line " all this is for want of good
sale," into " And all her beauty did fail," in order to fit it as 44 one
short song," or whether the Koxburghe text is corrupt, is unknown.)
The Innocent Milk-Maid's Delight. 25
Honest Tom D'Urfey could not keep his hands off this Milkmaid,
or any other girl that came in his way : especially the Via Lactea.
In the second part of his Comical History of Don Quixote, Act ii.
scene 2 (the play which excited the ire of atrabilious Jeremy
Collier, who speedily received condign punishment in D'Urfey' s
Campaigners, Preface, and song of "A New Reformation," 1697),
he introduces a Dance of Milkmaids, preceding which he makes one
of them sing his (adaptation of Martin Parker's) ditty, five stanzas,
" Ye Nymphs and Sylvan Gods, that love green fields and woods."
Although a twice-diluted beverage it still deserves to be quaffed.
(As a broadside it is in Pepy's Coll., III. 63 ; and Y. 221.)
&oncf m praise of the Bonng iHtlfejBflafo.
I.
YE Nymphs and Sylvan Gods, that love green fields and woods,
When Spring newly born her self doth adorn
With flowers and blooming buds,
Come, sing in the praise, whilst Flocks do graze
In yonder pleasant Vale,
Of those that choose their sleep to loose,
And in cold dews, with clouted shooes,
Do carry the Milking -Fail.
II.
The Goddess of the Morn with blushes they adorn,
And take the fresh air, whilst Linnets do prepare
A Consort [ = Concert] on each green Thorn :
The Ousle and Thrush on every Bush, \Pills prints, " Blackbird and."
And the charming Nightingale,
In merry vein their throats do strain,
To entertain the jolly train
That carry the Milking -Pail.
III.
When cold bleak Winds do roar, and flowers can spring no more,
The fields that were seen, so pleasant and green,
By Winter all candy'd o'er ;
Oh ! how the Town Lass looks with her white face,
And her lips of deadly pale !
But it is not so, with those that go
Thro' frost and snow, with cheeks that glow,
And carry the Milking -Pail. \Pills, " To carry.'"
IV.
The Miss of Courtly mould, adorn'd with Pearl and Gold,
With washes and paint her skin does so taint
She's wither'd before she's Old ;
Whilst she of Commode puts on a Cart-load, [Pills, " she in."
And with Cushions plumps her tail,
What joys are found in Busset Gown,
Young, plump and round, and sweet and sound,
That carry the Milking -Pail.
2G
The Innocent Milk-Maid's Delight.
The Girls of Venus' s Game, that venture Health and Fame,
In practising feats, with colds and with heats,
Make Lovers grow blind and lame :
If men were so wise to value the prize
Of the Wares most fit for sale,
"What store of Beam would dawb their clothes,
To save a Nose, by following those
That carry the MUking-Pail. [By Thomas D'TJrfey, 1694.]
[With music, in Pills to Purge Melancholy, i. 239, this sixth stanza is added :
The Country Lad is free from fears and jealousie,
When upon the Green he is often seen
With his Lass upon his knee :
With kisses most sweet, he does her greet,
And swears she'll never grow stale ;
Whilst the London Lass in e'ery place,
With her brazen face, despises the grace
Of those with the Milking- Pail, .]
*** In the Douce Collection (II. 579) is " The Plow-Man's Answer to the
Milk-maid's Delight;" beginning, "I am a Plow-man brisk and young, and
well I like the Milk-Maid's Song," which may be regarded as an answer to our
Eoxburghe ballad, but is marked to be sung to the tune of " 1 am a Weaver to my
Trade ' ' (properly "I am a Weaver by my Trade, and fell in love with a
Chambermaid" : this is " Will the merry Weaver and Charity the Chamber-
maid ; or, A brisk Encounter between a young Man and his Love," printed for
Philip Brooksby, and to the tune of As I am bound, which is perhaps, " Now I
am bound to the Seas." See later page. We have given on p. 22 a "West-
Country Weaver" (Roxb. Coll., II. 513), beginning, " Good people, I married a
Turbulent Wife." It is anti-matrimonial. There were people who answered
" Yes!" to the question, "Is Marriage a Failure?" in Charles the Second's
days. So was it in Job's, and, entre nous, in Adam's.
or
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 230 ; Douce, I. 98 ; Jersey, I. 150.]
3Jnnocent CountrHPattf s 2Deltst)t
©r,
£ SDegcription of tge iLtocg of tge lasjjseg of HottUom
At London they the wanton play, as it is often seen,
Whilst we do go, all of a row, unto the meadows green.
Set to an excellent Country Dance. This may be printed. R.P.
SOme Lasses are nice and strange,
That keep shop in the Exchange,
Sit pricking of clouts,
And giving of flouts,
And seldom abroad do range :
Then comes the green sickness,
And changes their likeness,
And all for want of sale ;
But His not so, with we that go,
Through frost and snow, tvhen ivinds do blow,
To carry the milking-payl. 1 1
Each Lass she will paint her face,
To seem with a comely grace,
And powder their hair,
To make them look fair,
That Gallants may them embrace :
But every morning,
Before their adorning,
They're far unfit for sale ;
But His not so, with we that go,
Through frost and snow, when ivinds do blow,
To carry the milking-payl. 22
The more to appear in pride,
They often in coaches ride,
Drest up in their knots,
Their jewels and spots,
And twenty knick-knacks beside :
Their Gallants embrace 'em,
At length they disgrace 'em,
And then they weep and wail ;
But His not so, with we that go,
Through frost and snow, ivhen winds do blow,
To carry the milking-payl. 33
28 The Innocent Country-Maid 's Delight.
There's nothing they prize ahove,
The delicate charms of Love,
They kiss and they court, they're right for the sport,
No way like the Turtle-dove :
For they are for any,
Not one, but a many,
At length they spoyl their sale ;
But 'tis not so, etc. 44
They feed upon dainties fine,
Their liquor is curious Wine,
If any will lend, they'l borrow and spend,
And this is a perfect sign
That they are for pleasure,
"Whilst wasting their treasure,
And then they may to Jayl ;
But His not so, etc. 55
They sit at their windows all day,
Drest up like your Ladies gay,
They prattle and talk, but seldom they walk,
Their work is no more than play :
They living so easy,
Their Stomachs are squesie, [w-c.
They know not what they ail;
But His not so, etc. 66
When e're they have been too free,
And happen with child to be,
The Doctor, be sure, is sent for to cure
This two-legged tympany : [«.,. swelling.
And thus the physiciaD
Must hide their condition,
For fear they spoyl their sale,
But His not so, etc. 77
There's Margery, Ciss and Prue,
Right country girls and true,
Nay Bridget and Jone, full well it is known,
They'l dabble it in the dew :
They trip it together,
And fear not the weather,
Although both rain and hail :
Full well you knoio, aivay we go,
Through frost and snow, when winds do blow,
To carry the milking-payl. 88
Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden-Ball in Pye- Corner.
[Black-letter. Cuts: Milkmaid, post ; 3 Ladies, pp. 16, 26. Date, 1685-88.]
29
[Roxburghe Coll., II. 205; Pepys, III. 45 ; Jersey, I. 21 ; Euing, 137.]
Ci)e $appp i^usbanDman :
©r,
Ccmmrp Innocence*
To A PLEASANT NEW COURT TlJNE.
This may be Printed. R,[ichard] P[ocock~|.
MY young Mary do's mind the Dairy,
While I go a Howing and Mowing each morn ;
Then hey the little spinning-wheel
Merrily round do's reel,
"While I am singing amidst the corn :
Cream and kisses both are my delight,
She gives me them, and the joys of night ;
She's soft as the air, as morning fair,
Is not such a maid a most pleasing sight ?
While I whistle, she from the thistle
Does gather down for to make us a bed,
And then my little Love does lie
AIL the night long, and dye —
In the kind arms of her nown dear Ned ;
There I taste of a delicate spring,
But I mun not tell you, nor name the thing,
To put you a wishing, and think of Kissing,
For kisses cause sighs, and young men shou'd sing.
Sedge and rushes, and tops of bushes
Shall thatch our roof, and shall strow all our floar,
And then the pritty Nightingales
Will fly from groves and dales
To live with us, and we'll ne'er be poor :
18
30 The Happy Husbandman ; or, Country Innocence.
Little lambkins whenever they dye
Will bequeath new blankets to thee and I,
Our quilts shall be roses, which June disposes ;
So warm and so sweet my young Love shall lie. 27
Fountains pure shall be thy ewer
To sprinkle water upon thy fair face ;
And near the little flock shall play
All the long Summer's day ;
Gentle white lambs will adorn the place.
Then at night we'll hie home to our hive,
And (like bees) enjoy all the sweets alive :
We'll taste all Love's treasure, and enjoy that pleasure,
While others for Fame and for greatness strive. 36
No man's frowns are on the Downs,
For truly there we most freely may sing,
And kiss the pretty Nancies,
Wliile changes and chances
Amuse all the Great, and disturbance bring,
We will with our young lambs go to bed,
And observe the lives that our Fathers led ;
We'll mind not ambition, nor sow sedition,
And leave State-affairs to the state-man's head. 45
Oaten reeds (those humble weeds)
Shall be the pipes upon which we will play,
And on the merry mountain,
Or else by a fountain
We'll merrily pass the sweet time away :
Sure no mortal can blame us for this.
And now mark the way of your London Miss,
She masters your breeches, and takes your riches,
While we have more joys by a harmless kiss. 54
No youth here need willow wear,
No beauteous maid will her Lover destroy :
The gentle little Lass will yield
In the soft daisy field,
Freely our pleasures we here enjoy :
No great Juno we boldly defie,
With young Chris' cheeks, or fair Cello's eye ;
We let all those things alone, and enjoy your own,
Every night with our Beauties lie. 63
Printed for P. Broolcsly, at the Golden Ball, in Pye- Comer.
[In Black-letter. Three cuts: two on p. 29, and the man with staff on p. 31.
Date, as Licensed, between August, 1685, and December, 1688.]
31
[Roxb. Coll., II. 222 ; Pepys, III. 11 ; Douce, I. 97 ; Jersey, I. 75 ; C. 22. c. 126.]
Ci)e ^unttngtom0!)tre j&iotoman ;
©r, the
potoman'js Complaint for tge 1000 of fiiss part's* tBtltgfit^
True Love alone, does cause my moan, such sorrows I possess,
1 being left of joys bereft, to languish in distress.
Tune op, My Child must have a Father. This may be Printed. R. P.
YOung-men and Maids I pray attend, unto a Plow-man's ditty ;
It is to you these lines I send, in hopes that you will pitty
My sad and woeful destiny, I being now forsaken ;
I thought sbe lov'd no man but me, yet I was much mistaken.
I counted her my heart's delight, and doated on her beauty ;
I could have serv'd her day and night, and counted it my duty :
My love to her I made appear, at e'ry time and season,
Yet I am slighted by my dear, and know not what's the reason.
Except the meanness of my state does cause her to refuse me ;
But if the truth I may relate, she ought not to abuse me ;
And hold my person thus in scorn, in giving the denyal ;
For tho' I am a Ploicman born, my heart is true and loyal. 24
No rest or quiet could I find, my love is out of measure ;
She still was running in my mind, I counted her my Treasure :
But yet at me she still would scoff, instructed by her mother,
And at the length did leave me off, and marry'd with another.
32 The Huntingtonshire Plough/nan's Complaint.
I count this prov'd my overthrow, by being far asunder,
So that I daily could not go, therefore I now lye under
The sence of sorrow, care and grief, which I am still possessing,
And ne'r expect to have relief or to enjoy the blessing.
Tho' she by Letters knew my mind, which I was often sending,
Yet now I find her most unkind, my grief is without ending :
In chains of love I here must lye, in care and grief surrounded ;
Alas ! I freely now could dye, for why my heart is wounded. 48
But tho' you thus do torture me, as I too well do know it,
I must and will your Captive be, for I cannot foregoe it :
Therefore always, I'le write thy praise, in this my love-sick story,
For I am Will the Plowman still, and will set forth thy glory.
She had been true to Cupid's laws, and never coy nor cruel,
Had not her mother been the cause : I had enjoy'd my jewel :
On wealth her mother's mind was bent, she greeded out of measure,
But love will last when money' s spent, then who wou'd wed for treasure ?
Young men that hear me now this day, which have a mind to marry ;
Pray do not linger and delay, there's danger if you tarry :
When e're you understand and find, that others are about her,
Pray take her while she's in the mind, for fear you go without her.
Printed for P. Broolcsly, at the Golden Ball in Pye- Corner.
[In Black-letter, with four woodcuts. The first is the man with staff, of Rwb.
Ballads, i. 171 ; 2nd, a girl (like one on p. 31, with a different man and staff) ;
3rd, the girl, of vol. iii. 617, left ; 4th, the startled lady in alcove, vi. 76, right.
Date, Focock Licenser, 1685-88. Tune, My child must have, etc. ; not found.]
QTfje Shoemaker's JDcIurfjt.
' ' With gentlenesse iudge you, at nothing here grudge you,
The Merry Shoe-makers delight in good Sport ;
"What here is presented, be herewith contented :
And as you doe like it, so giue you report."
— Thomas Deloney's Gentle Craft, 1627 ed.
WE are unable to devote space to the Cordwainers, Cobblers and Shoemakers,
such as they perhaps deserve, or to do more than recommend readers to
turn to Thomas Deloney's "booke called The Gentle Crafte, intreating of Shoo-
makers" which was entered on 19 October, 1597, to Eaphe Blore, in the
Stationers' Registers (C, 25 = Transcript, iii. 93). The earliest edition extant is
1598, imperfect, printed for Edward White. It tells how Crispin and Crispianus,
sons of King Logrid of Britain, and of Queen Estreda, were sheltered at
Faversham, Kent. Crispin wooed and married Princess Ursula, whose son was
born in the shoemaker's house. Hence the saying, " A shoemaker's son is born
a Prince." From their high lineage, shocmaking is named ' The Gentle Craft.'
33
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 424; IV. 70; Jersey, III. 81.]
2L Seto ^Dialogue bcrtmjrt a MtguCoimttp *s>gooMttaket
an& §t0 Ho&e*
Who, after five years Travel for her sake,
He hack return'd, and she amends did make ;
For after he to her had told his mind,
She seemed not at all to him unkind :
Young men and maids, then read these lines, and see
How they in love did lovingly agree.
To the Tune of, When Soil will cast no light. [See Note on p. 34.]
ON Midsummer day, as I abroad was -walking,
A young man and a maid I heard a talking :
Near to a shady grove, flowers were springing,
And the brave Nightingale sweetly was singing.
The young man, brisk and bold, thus fell to wooing,
And with his fair maid would [he] fain be doing ; [tramp.
"With speeches meek and mild, and kind entreating,
Saying his heart would break, if she forsake him. 8
" My joy and only dear, pray thee believe me,
If thou wilt be my wife, I'le never deceive thee ;
No store of means I have, I tell thee plainly,
But I'le work day and night for to maintain thee.
""What I do promise thee shall be performed,
By no one in the world thou shalt be wronged :
I'le venture life or limbs, for thee, my Jewell,
Then be not thou unkind, nor prove not cruel. 16
"lam not one of those that keeps a bragging,
And of their house and land their tongues are wagging.
My love is faithful bent, then be contented,
If thou wilt be my wife, thou't ne'r repent it.
" My trade it still will hold, this I am certain,
A good Husband I will be, my dearest darling ;
I am of Crispin'' s trq,de, a brave Shooemaker.
He loved a Princess clear, and ne'r forsak't her. [Vide, p. 32.
" Nor I'le not thee forsake, my dearest Betty,
Thy smiling countenance shineth so pretty,
If I five thousand pound had in' my keeping,
Thou shouldst it all command, my dearest sweeting.
VOL. VII. D
34 The Shoe-maker's Delight.
" So if thou can'st but find in heart to love me,
Speak freely now thy mind, as it behooved thee ;
Speak freely from thy heart, if thou wilt have me,
And to thee I'Je prove true, as God shall save me." 32
The Maid's loving reply.
" 1\/T^ ^ove an<^ on^ dear, I j°y to see thee,
JjX For when you absent were, oh ! how it did grieve me ;
Both day and night I'le swear, I thought upon thee :
I wondred in my heart what was come on thee."
The Young Man.
" These five long years, my dear, thou know'st I wander,
In City and iu Town, like any stranger,
And am return'd again, once more to try thee :
How can'st find in thy heart for to deny me." 40
The Maid.
" Well, seeing thou art return'd, thou art welcome to me,
By all the powers above, I'le not forgoe thee ;
Though Father frown at me, and mother murmour,
All the friends that I have shall not part's in sunder.
" Because I find thee plain in words and speeches,
You tell me that you have no store of riches,
Me to maintain, my dear : be not thou fearful,
I have five hundred pound, if thou will be careful. 48
" Therefore be not dismaid, but be contented ;
All the friends that I have shall not prevent it;
But I will be thy wife, and will endeavour
To lead a quiet life with thee for ever."
The Toting Man.
" Oh ! how my heart with joy, my dear, hath filled,
Because to my request kindly she yielded ;
Now we will live in peace and love together,
As the old Proverb goeth, ' Like birds of a feather.' " 56
Thus you may plainly see that time and leisure
Many things brings to pass, therefore endeavour.
Young men, prove constant still; maids, do not dissemble ;
And then you need not fear for to live single.
Printed for P. Broolcsby, at the Golden Ball, in West-Smithjield.
[Black-letter. Woodcut, of shoemakers revelling, not re-engraved : see instead
p. 3o. For the tune, " The Pensive Maid," beginning " When Sol will cast
no light," is given in Second Naval Group. Date, between 1672 and 168|.
For Postscript to p. 32, Aly child must haw a father, see p. 99.]
35
[Koxburghe Collection, III. 662 ; Douce Coll., III. 38 verso.]
Cfte Gentle Craft's Complaint : or, €&e Jollp
J£Jjoc=mafcers fjumble Petition ta tije (&ueen ana Parliament ;
rjottfi tfj£t'r great fjopes of tfje &o&ancement of eari) ILeatfjer 2Traoe.
Tune of, Now, comes on the glorious Year. [See vol. vi. pp. 617, 621.]
THE jolly Shoemakers, it is said, ha[ve] found a great decay of Trade,
And lately have been sore dismay'd, and in a dismal taking,
Because the Leather was grown dear, and carried over sea, we hear ;
But Gentle Craftsmen, never fear, you'll still be brisk Shoemak[ingj.
It is a noble ancient trade, no man on earth can it degrade,
And must the Craft now be decay' d, no, no, be not mistake[rs].
Crispin and Crispianus too, the town of Feversham well knew,
And likewise noble good St. Hugh, were all of them Shoemakers.
16
This craft was never held in scorn, Sir Thomas Eyer did it adorn, [Sir Simon.
' A Shoemaker's son a Prince is born ; ' but now they've undertaken, CP- 32.
To send their grievance to our Queen, in hopes a draw-back to obtain,
And the Parliament their case hath seen, they'll still be brisk Shoemakers.
This is the substance of their state, much unwrought leather was of late
Sent over, and the taxes great, made jolly hearts to ake, Sir.
*^* "We give another Shoemakers' -Ballad, although of later date, the reign of
Queen Anne. The yielding honour to " the town of Feversham " (where James II.
was maltreated, 1688), in connection with SS. Crispin and Crispianus (1. 7), may
be considered a solatium for unenviable notoriety gained by that worthy Medway-
side borough at the time when Arden of Feversham was murdered (see the ballad
on a later page), or because it had given birth to John Ward the renowned Pirate
and Runagate (as shown by us in vol. vi. p. 425, and p. 784 of Appendix).
" S. Hugh," of line 15 and line 83 : " St. Hugh's Bones "meant the Cobbler's tools.
Sir Simon [not Thomas] Eyre, Shoemaker, was Lord Mayor of London, 1445.
36 The Gentle Craft's Complaint.
To think their trade should so decay, for many out of business lay,
Each 'prentice had no heart to stay, that will be brisk Shoemakers. 32
The Parliament hath heard their grief, and quickly will extend relief,
For thousands of the very chief of them hafve been] undertakers]
In this great action to proceed, and there's no doutit but will succeed,
And by our Senate be decreed to make them brisk Shoemakers.
All others that in Leather deal, the comfort too will also feel,
What those trades are we shall reveal, Glovers and TTarness-makers ;
Coach-makers, Tanners. Skinners too, Translators' joys it will renew,
Then toss off healths, Boys, since 'tis true, you'll still be brisk Shoemakers.
The Book-binders doth leather use, and boys for Satchels doth it chuse,
As well as he that mendeth Shoes, so doth the Breeches-maker.
The Bellows-maker too beside, he is oblig'd to use bulls' hides,
Then craftsmen lay all cares aside, you'll soon be brisk Shoe-makers.
It was your brave Boys, by free consent, that humbly in full body went,
Unto our noble Parliament, as you had undertaken.
As a just reward for all to see, this nation will recorded be,
Then toss full bumpers, let them flee, to the Honour of Shoe-makers. 64
Our noble Parliament you'll find, to English Tradesmen will prove kind,
And ever will your interest mind, just now 'tis undertaken.
They have consider'd your Address, our noble Peers could do no less.
Whilst all the world must still confess, you're honest brisk Shoe-makers.
No longer need you sigh and pine, but toss to Anna flasks of wine, [N.B.
The noble Craft will clearly shine, no damp will overtake them.
Then let a general joy abound, in ev'ry incorporated town,
And great Augusta's joys be crown'd, to honour her Shoe-makers. 80
Each journey-man and prentice too, and masters, without more ado,
May wear the bones of great St. Hugh, for work will ne'er forsake them. [p. 35.
The case will soon be alter' d quite, each in his labour may delight,
Then toss a jug or two each night, for the Honour of Shoe-makers.
Then jolly gentle Craftsmen all. be merry, whatsoe'er befal,
There will for you be a great call, you are not yet forsaken.
Then hollow. Boys, with a loud huzza, and for our gracious Sovereign pray,
You'll have redress without delay, and still be brisk Shoemakers. 96
Then let the Pitcher walk amain, and drink their Healths up o'er again,
Who your complaints did not disdain, when you thought you were forsaken.
'Tis our good Parliament I mean, and royal Anne our noble Queen,
Who England'' s friends have ever been, now proves the brave Shoe-makers.
Then let all sorrows have an end, and God [h]is blessings down will send,
And eke this noble Craft defend, and never will forsake them.
But Trade and business will encrease, let fears of wanting now quite cease,
May nought but health and wealth and peace attend the brave Shoe-makers.
Then to conclude, once more rejoice, sing Crispin's fame in heart and voice,
Throw up your hats with ' Huzza, Boys,' [of] great joys you are partakers ;
Which will to you be now rcstor'd, then toss the bumper o'er and o'er,
Bemember these dull times no more : you still are brave Shoe-makers. 120
[No colophon in either copy. In White-letter. Witli two woodcuts : one
representing S. Crispin and S. Crispianus ; the other is a neat little cut of
a boy holding the foot .of a lady who is seated in a chair. This pretty lad,
Crispin, knows the length of her foot. Date, Queen Anne's reign, 1702-1714.]
37
[Roxburghe Coll., II. 216; Pepys, IV. 350 ; Hutli, I. 134; Jersey, I. 344.]
CSe ©onest €ra&e0man's honour FinntcateD;
©X,
&tje Btacfaoocta quEl"b, as in tfjts Dt'ttg out fs Jjelo,
Or, a merry Dialogue between a Swash Blade
And an Artist of London to vindicate trade :
With merry jibes, jears and trumps,
To drive melancholly men out of their dumps :
Ptn'd to make them merry when
Melancholly doth possess the brain.
The Tune is, General Monk was a Noble Man, etc. [See vol. vi. p. 136.]
Gentleman. '
I Am a gallant Blade indeed, and gay apparel wear,
A fig for Trade, and a crown for a maid, and a fart for sorrow and care :
I am a Jovial Gentleman, I love sport and recreation,
Though 1 have neither house nor land, I keep myself in good fashion.
Tradesman.
Some Gentlemen's care is a lass in his lap, whil'st he at a Tradesman is flowting,
Dol with a dish clout hath painted her face, and scorns with her hands to be working :
She thought to be called high in name, no less than a lady I wis,
She decked herself in silk an' in satten, yet she's but an ugly Puss. 16
Gentleman.
Alas, good Sir, when did you come from the Citie's labouring trade ?
Look back again now towards home, and see what for you is made,
Your wife for you has made a crown, a gallant fair pair of horns,
"Whilst you are here in our country, with one that your calling scorns.
Tradesman.
It comes into my memory, sir, now you talk of scorning,
Do you remember the Oyster Wench you met with one Munday morning.
When she was in her silver laced gown, oh then you began to woe her ;
But when she cried ' Oysters ' in the Town you scorn'd as much to know her.
Gentleman.
We Gentlemen live merry lives, you but M ec[h]annicks are, Sir,
Therefore to us you must make known, when ever we do come, sir ;
You Tradesmen unto it are tyde, you must work hard for money,
Whilst merrily abroad we ride, to hunt the Fox and Coney. Hare, p. 87.
Tradesman.
Now that you talk of Hunting, Sir, one thing comes in my mind ;
You nothing have to doe but hunt, therefore it comes by kind :
A hind I do remember well, you lately had in chase,
Her belly high begins to swell, and you absent the place. 48
2H)e Sccono Part, to the same tune.
Gentleman.
TOu Tradesman at your work do moyl, whilst we to mirth incline, Sir :
But we do scorn so much to toyle, except it be at the wine, Sir :
You Tradesmen have great rents to pay, for that we take no care,
We rant and rore it, night and day, we spend and never spare.
38 The Honest Tradesman'' s Honour Vindicated.
Tradesman.
Now that you talk of rents, good Sir, of Musick and of Wine,
To pay your debts do not defer, to your Landlady so fine ;
Her daughter Dol is in great fear, she shall not see your face,
You have left her to shed many a tear and reap your sown disgrace. 64
Gentleman.
If into the country we hut ride, out ten miles from the city,
No sooner have they our face spy'd, but this will be their Ditty,
" Your worship's welcome to the town, pray. Sir, what will you have ? "
Thus are we known of every clown, and of each fool and knave.
Tradesman.
Sir, now you talk of fools and knaves, of country men and clowns,
And of true dealing honest men, that dwell in country towns,
Were't not for them, full well I know, long we could not live here,
They toyl to plow, to reap and sow, to feed 's with bread, beef, and beer.
Gentleman.
Sir, this I grant for to be true, that we by them are fed ;
No company l'le keep with you, for I am better bred :
Seest thou my Eapier by my side, a broad Hat and long curl'd hair ;
My breeches at the knees so wide, that they would make four pair.
Tradesman.
Sir, if for your Eapier you had paid, your Cutler would not frown,
Nor your Eever-maker have been afraid of your riding out of town ;
Your Taylor he lamenteth still, for a truth I heard it said,
Oft viewing of his long bill, which you have left unpaid. 96
Gentleman.
Sir, for this present I will rest, and will no more contend,
I do protest that man is blest that is the Tradesman's friend,
You work and sing all care away, and drink ale, beer, and wine, r-See yote
"Whil'st Gentlemen do now and then with great Duke Humphrey dine. [_at end.
Tradesman.
Good God preserve our Eoyal King, the Progeny defend,
With the rest of the Eoyal Off-spring from those that would contend :
And God so bless the Parliament that they good laws may make,
Our future dangers to prevent, and thus my leave I take. 112
tfhu's.
[Publisher's name cut off, hut Pepys's copy has " Printed for W. T., T. P., and
W. W." that is, for W. Thackeray, Thomas Passinger, and William Whitwood.
In Black-letter, with two woodcuts, which are given in vol. vi. p. 237.
Date of original issue, circa 1662, earlier than this edition of circa 1670.]
*#* Note. — " To dine with Duke Humphrey (13th stanza, last line) was a
well-known jesting phrase, significant of going without any dinner, while
strutting about as a gallant in fine clothes, near the tomb or monument of
Humphrey, the good Duke of Gloucester, or in Paul's-walk. The allusions to
the King's progeny (next stanza) seem to date the original issue of the ballad
to the time of Charles I., about 1640, and before the Civil Wars began. It
cannot refer to Charles II. or William III., who had no legitimate children,
and is unlikely to have meant James II. since his daughters were unpopular until
they became queens ; while the interval after the birth of the Prince of Wales
and before the Eevolution was too brief to account. The tune is of 1661.
89
Cfic Clerft of lBo&min'.s ®onip ^onrj.
si T the Land's End two lonely Students met,
"^ (Drifts from the great metropolis of brick,)
And, as their Scotch friends say, '■forgathered quick,''
As tho'1 for months they'd danced in the same set.
They rambled round the coast, got tired and wet,
Rocked Logan- Stone, like boys, with ivalking -stick :
Then sailed to Kynance-Cove, not feeling sick :
St. Ives and Michael's-Mount they'll ne'er forget.
The fish-wives brought them grapes ; the florists, hake !
Pilchards drew nigh in shoals, of self-accord ;
Tin-mines decoyed them down, their necks to break ;
Each Cornish marvel pleased them, nothing bored.
To ripen friendship, there begun, pray take
'Karl's Legacy' with this Memorial word.1— Trowbesh MS.
W HEN he visited Cornwall in 1798, Charles Dibdin renewed
his strength, mental and bodily, in the pure air, the grand and
lovely scenery, with the companionship of those whom he called,
in one of his most spirited ditties, the " sturdy Cornish miners."
His Entertainment Sans Souci, " A Tour to the Land's End," soon
recorded his enjoyment. Fortunately he went more than a century
too late to be encountered by the pietistic Clerk of Bodmin, whose
" Very Godly Song " we here reprint.
Our later generation accepts Zolaistic Realism and stale theology
from female novelists (who gather the refuse of French or Tubingen
dust-bins, and thereafter fling their dreary disputations to a mixed
multitude of loose thinkers, crazy with weak ' fads ' ; to 'frisky
matrons ' and Demi-mondaines of over-ripe maturity). It is not
justified in casting stones at the Stuart populace for having patiently
endured many afflicting sermons in ballad form. Men who had
long revelled in ghastly horrors, turned instead to D'Urfey's ditties.
After the joyful Restoration, when anarchy had been over-mastered,
they rejected blasphemous literature, and encouraged no blatant
sedition,2 except from Shaftesbury's ' Protestant brisk boys.'
1 May-day, 1874. (To the late Mrs. J. S. Mitchell.)
2 On the prevalence of unbelief among those who by education and University
training ought to maintain faith and loyalty, in Oxford, the stronghold of ortho-
doxy and devotion, hear Bishop Alexander, in St. Augustine's Holiday, 1886 :
" They torture all the record of the Life,
Give — what from France and Germany they get ;
To Calvary carry a dissecting knife,
Parisian patchouli to Olivet.
" They talk of critical battle-flags unfurl'd,
Of the winged sweep of Science high and grand —
And sometimes publish to a yawning world
A book of patchwork learning second-hand." — New Atlantis.
40
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 544 ; Bagford, II. 48; Pepys, II. 41 ; Wood, 401,
65; Jersey, II. 258; Euing, 371; Rawlinson, 181.]
a toerp 0oMp ^onrj, intitulet), tftc (ZEarncst petition
of lf)E faitfjful Christian, orintj (Clerk of JSodnam,1 ntaoe upon
ty's J3cat!)-I)£tr, at tJje instant of ^is ^Transmutation.
To a sweet solemn Tine [its own].
ySft** ?^!ie=^yli^iiji
NOw my painful eyes lye rowling, and my passing-bell is fowling,
Towling sweetly, I lye dyiDg, and my life is from me flying.
Grant me strength, 0 gracious God, for to endure thy heavy rod,
Then shall I rejoyce and sing, with Psalms unto our heavenly King.
Simeon, that blessed man, believed Christ when he was come, [S. Luke, ii. 25.
And then he did desire to dye, to live with him eternally.
Christ wrougbte me a strong Salvation, by his bitter death and passion ;
He hath wash'd and made me clean, that I should never sin again.
Grievous pains doth call and cry, " 0 man prepare thy self to dye ! "
All my sins I have lamented, and to dye I am contented. 20
*#* Bodnam — Bodman in "Wood's broadside printed for F. Colts, etc., = Bodmin,
in Cornwall, "wretchedly prone to gloomy views of pessimistic false-religion
from early days, and without any sign of improvement so long as the ' Curse of
Camborne' is tolerated: an ugly specimen of an evil type," says Dervaux. The
late Edward Lear, who raised the veritable "Leer of Private Life," being the
provider of enjoyment without alloy, found Bodmin and Camborne unsusceptible
of civilization by good humour. He could not advance ' Westward Ho ! ' beyond
the neighbourhood of the immortal Cornish Chough, in his first Book of Nonsense,
" There was an old man of LisJceard,
Who said, ' It is just as I fear'd ;
Two owls and a hen, Four larks and a wren,
Have all made their nests in my beard ! ' "
Perhaps this man may have been a descendant of the Parish -Clerk at Bodmin.
0
Earnest Petition of the faithful Clerk of Bodmin. 41
Silly Soul the Lord receive thee, Death is come, and Life must leave thee,
Death will tarry no man's leasure, then farewell all earthly pleasure.
In this world I nothing crave, but to bring me to my grave ;
In my grave while I lye sleeping, Angels have my soul in keeping.
When the bells are for me ringing, Lord receive my soul with singing :
Then shall I be free from pain, to live, and never dye again.
"While the worms corrupting breed on, wait my noisome corps to feed on,
My fervent soul this prison loathing, craves a robe of angel's cloathing.
Farewel world, and worldly glory, farewel all things transitory,
Sion Hill my Soul ascendeth, and God's royal throne attendeth. 40
Farewel wife and children small, for I must go when Christ doth call :
And for my death be ye content, when I am gone do not lament.
Now the bell doth cease to toul, siveet Jesus Christ receive my soul.
GOD which did the world create, hear a poor sinner at the gate,
Thou that from death did'st set me free, remit my sins and show mercy.
0 Thou that caus'd thy blessed Son into this universe to come,
Thy Gospel true for to fulfill, and to subdue sin, death, and hell :
Grant for his sake that dy'd on tree, on the blest Mount of Calvary,
That I, being grieved for my sin, might by repentance Heaven win. 58
The Gospel saith, who so believe, to them wilt thou a blessing give ;
Amongst which number grant me faith that to believe the Gospel saith.
Which to believe grant that I may, though here I dye, yet live for aye ;
Then Saviour sweet, remit my sin, and grant me faith that life to win.
And since Thy death a price most great hath bought us here, I do intreat
To give me grace Thy name to praise, both now and evermore always.
For by Thy death my soul is free from Hell, which still by thy decree
To sinners all for siu is due, until thy Son, our Saviour true, 74
Did vanquish, by almighty power, death, hell, and all that could devour ;
My sins, 0 Lord, I do confess, like sands in seas are numberless.
Yet though my sins like scarlet show, their whiteness may exceed the snow,
If thou thy mercy do extend, that I my sinful life may mend.
"Which mercy, thy blest word doth say, at any time obtain I may,
If power and grace in me remain, from carnal sin for to refrain. [restrain ?
Then give me grace, Lord, to abstain from Sin, that I may still remain
With thee in heaven, where angels sing most joyfully to thee our King.
God grant, 0 Christ, that when I dye, my soul with thee immediately
May have abode among the blest, and live for ever in true rest. 94
Printed for W. Thackeray in Duck-lane.
[Black-letter. Two woodcuts, one on p. 40 is common to E. and Bagford.
Boxb. agrees with Euing's ; Bagford's white-letter printed for Wm. Daley ;
Pepys' printed for/. Wright, J. Clarke, Wm. Thackeray, and T. Passing er ;
Bawlinson's and Wood's printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and W. Gilbertson,
dated, 1676. Roxb. 2nd cut, three skeletons coming from graves, belonged to
T.F.'s Miraculous Newes from the Ciltie of Holdt, in Munster : 1616. It is
copied into Mason Jackson's Pictorial Press, p. 28, 1885.]
42
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 128; Douce, II. 178; Euing, No. 113.]
P&ancie's p&oentn
©r, Wyt peerless Paragon of tf)e 2Tfmcs.
Being a oonng ffiallnnt's Description of a Eatm toljfcfj rjc Tjao scttleo
Ijt's tijougljts on, rcsolbtng neber to rijaiujc, nor to lobe ano otljrr
Beauto or tfacc in tlje SMorlo.
And is perswad[ed] if there be
A Phoenix in the world, 'tis she.
To AN AMOROUS NEW TUNE [its OWn].
(10me, all you Batchellors so brave, that spend your time in Cupid's Court,
) And with your complements do crave with many ladies for to sport :
I am contrary to your mind, I court but one, and she's unkind,
Site's vtrluous, chaste, and if there be a Phcenix in the world, 'tis she.
I little thought I ever could by any beauty e're be won,
Nor can I now, if that I would, remove my mind on any one ;
No wealth, no beauty, nor no face, my fixed thoughts from her disgrace,
She's vertuous, chaste, and if there be a Phcenix in the world, ' lis she.
I must confess : I am in love, although I thought I never could,
But sure she was sent from above, and made of Nature's cheifest mould,
So pure, so fair, and all divine, I'le quit the world to make her mine ;
She vertuous, chaste, and if there be a Phoenix in the world, 'tis she.
24
*** " Fancy's Phoenix " is given here in connection with the ballad on p. 4, viz.
"The Tradesman's Complaint," sung to the same tune; and this also brings
on p. 44, " Fancy's Favourite," the natural male companion of " Fancy's Phoenix. "
Fancy's Phoenix ; or, The Peerless Paragon. 43
Do you not see the stars retreat when Sol salutes the sky so clear ?
So must all beauties ne're so great shrink and withdraw when she appear ;
So bright, so clear, that all must say 'tis fair Roselia claims the day,
She's vertuous, chaste, and if there [be], etc. IW- Wotton's "You meaner b."
Her bashful Cheeks with blushing sweet, cast such a rich vermillion dye,
That rose and lilly there doth meet, each striving for the victory :
So rare, so pure, you'l scarce believe dame Nature could such colours give.
She's vertuous, chaste, and if there [be], etc.
Her eyes like sparks of diamond clear, such glances cast in merry sort,
No wantonness in them appears, yet Cupid sure here keeps his court.
'Twas from her eyes he shot his dart yt thus hath pierced my love-torn heart.
She's vertuous, chaste, and if there [be], etc. 48
But stay, my Muse, what need have I to praise her beauty in such sort,
"When as her fame abroad doth fly, more then I can of her report ;
"Were she to me as kind as fair then might I live and not despair.
But sure I think if that there be a Phoenix in the World 'tis she.
For she desires to be alone, and never to participate
Her love, she saith, to any one ; but single liv's without a mate ;
Such thoughts I think in few remain, yet doth in her : the more's my pain,
Then sure I think if that there be, etc.
Cruel she is to none, I hear, no more she is not unto me ;
Nor proud she is not ; that is rare, you'l say, in women for to be.
She's courteous, lovely, chast, and fair, 'tis few that can with her compare,
For sure I think if that there be, etc. 72
Then if she Phenix-like will live and dye alone, I am content ;
My heart to her I'le freely give, unto no other I'le consent,
But in her flames my heart shall burn, and Phoenix-like to ashes turn,
For it is her, and none but she, by whom I must revived be.
And if she will not yeild at last, but still her resolution hold, ["text,
I will not think my time ill pass'd, nor yet my love shall ne're wax cold, [_" spent."
To stay for such a one as she, I think no time there lost will be,
I'd better with my fancy wed, than lodge some women in my bed.
If that you needs would know of me whereas this Phenix doth abide,
For that I must excused be, yet near the Strand she doth reside.
No other notice will I give, to any one whilst I do live ;
And if she doth a Phoenix dye, look in her ashes : there am I. 96
You roving Batchellors that be resolved for to spend your time,
In several Maidens' company, when as their beautys are in prime ;
Beware, beware, let nature guide thee to a Maid to make thy Bride :
Let not her beauty tempt your eye, [un]hast vertue too in her you spye.
I must depart, time calls away, I cannot now express my mind ;
This Song is long enough, you'l say, unless that she did prove more kind.
She's vertuous, chaste, and therefore I resolve to love her till I dye :
For sure I think that if there be a Phoenix in the world, ''tis she.
[In Black-letter. "Woodcuts as on p. 42. No publisher's name on our mutilated
Boxburghe broadside. Euing's was printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and J. Wright.
Date, before 1681, when Vere died. The Lady belongs also to p. 28, with two
others, patched, on pp. 16 and 26 ; also a Milkmaid in chintz, given later.]
44
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 168 ; Pepys, III. 29 ; Erring, 115, 116 ; Huth, I. 105.]
jfancie's jratoourtte;
©r, &ty ffltrrot of tfje Eimts.
Benin; a poung 3Latiics cotnmenoation of a poung (Sallant, infji'c^
ijatf) a long time sljcroco Ijer mud) lobe; nrijiclj bo \)i& cibil
carriage, ano long patience in inatttng on Jjcr, at last conqucreo
\)ix, uiljo foas once rcsolbco to Icao a single life, ano therefore fye
termco fjer tije Phoenix of tf)e Cimcs.
To the tune of, Fancie' s Phoenix. [See p. 42.]
COme, come away, you Maidens fair, this song to you Twill iiidite,
'Tis of a Young Man I'll declare, [of] who[m] in praise 1 needs must write :
The City if I search about, I scarce shall tind his fellow out.
He hath been constant noiv to me, the Mir r our of the Times is he.
I must confess, I once did mind, a single life to live and dye ;
But such rare parts in him I find, his civil suit I can't deny,
But am resolved to set him free, and grant him love and libertie :
So civil he hath been to me [the Mirror of the Times is he].
I once did think I never should so much as know what love should be,
Nor did I dream he ever could with patience so have conquered me :
His comely gesture 1 did spie made me delight in 's company,
That all may say that doth him see [the Mirror of the Times is he~\. 24
Did you e'r see that glorious Star that ushers in the morning bright,
How he exceeds all other far, by casting forth his sparkling light,
So all do say as much by he, that e'r did keep his company.
His carriage doth his gesture show, he is admired where e'r he go.
He bashful is, yet bold also, and shews it with a gallant grace,
All vaporing Blades he scorns to know, yet scorns he for to hide his face,
He'll take no wrong, nor quarrels breed, but stick to 's friend in time of need :
lie's civil, yet he'll merry be ; [the Mirror of the Times is he].
If any where you should him spy, in maid or women's company,
No wanton looks comes from his eye, at any time as you e'er shall see ;
He'll court, he'll kiss, he'll sing or play, but it shall be in a modest way,
Tor men or women's company [the Mirror of the Times is he"]. 48
BUt stay, my Ten doth run too fast, in setting forth his gallantrie,
For fear I lose him at the last, then cause you'll have to laugh at me,
When some do hear of him they may persuade his love from me away :
But if they gain his love from me, none constant then I think there be.
But his name I have not told, nor will not yet you may be sure,
Till of him I can get faster hold, there's no one here shall it procure.
You Maidens all that hear my song, I would not have you for him long.
But if you do, persuaded be, you may find some as good as he.
A Phoenix he hath termed me, because I thought to lie alone,
But if that such" a Bird there be, out of this climate sure she's flown,
Our land is cold, and therefore I resolve no Phoenix for to die.
But though 1 don't his Phoenix prove, yet I will be his Turtle Dove. 72
Fancy s Favourite ; or, The Mirror of the Times. 45
There's many [a] maiden that doth say, a single life is hest at ease,
How oft, I pray, will you say nay, if once a young man doth you please ?
I must confess sometimes you'll prove most coy to him you most do love.
What by experience I find true, pray blame not me to tell it you.
Let me advise you, Maidens fair, not to be coy nor proud at all,
For those that count themselves most rare most times doth get the greatest fall :
You seldom see a scornful maid, but at the last she is betray' d :
Be courteous, yet be vertuous still, and let not young men have their will.
Chuse not a Husband for estate, unless you fancy him beside,
You may repent when 'tis too late, 'tis for a life-time you are ty'd ;
No Ranter take, if you be wise, nor yet none of the new precise : \_N.B.
The one ivill rant and spend thy means, the other closely may love queans.
But now my Song grows to an end, I must be gone, my love doth stay,
Last night I did unto him send to meet me at a place to-day ;
Where we intend so to agi'ee, in what Church we will married be :
Then Phoenix-like we'll live and dye, in the pure flames of Chastity. 104
One Love, one Faith, we do exnress, and therefore we one name will have,
Our love so great is, I confess, we likewise do desire one grave ;
To his desire I will incline, his ashes shall be joyned with mine,
So Phoenix-like we mean to lie, and Turtle-like we'll live and dye. C.H. [or, G.H.]
[In Black-letter, with three woodcuts, viz. the lady of vi. 52 left ; man, vi.
332, right; and the couple of figures, iv. 383. Two cuts in Euing, 115;
none in Euing, 116. No pub-
lisher's name in Boxburghe copy ;
but Pepys's printed for F. Cotes,
T. Vere,J. Wright, and/. Clarke
(as in " Fancy's Phoenix," except
the addition of Clarke in the part-
nership. Date, before 1682.]
[These cuts accompany ' The lamentation of the Pedlars,' p. 46.]
40
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 404 ; Pepys, IV. 297.]
Cl)e S>orrotofui JUtmntation
of tf)t prolan, aim pcttp CJjapmnt, foe tfte Jjartmcjjg
of tijt ttmeg, aim tlje occap of ^raoe*
To the Tune op, My Life and my Death. (See pp. 47, 48.)
This may be Printed, R[ichard] P[ocock].
THE times are grown hard, more harder then stone,
And therefore the Pedlars may well make their moan,
Lament and complain that trading is dead,
That all the sweet golden fair days now are fled.
Then Maidens and Men, come see what you lack,
And buy the fine toys that I have in my Pack.
Come hither and view, here's choice and here's store,
Here's all things to please ye, what would you have more,
Here's points for the Men, and pins for the Maid,
Then open your purses and be not afraid :
Come Maidens [and men, Come see what you lack], etc. ] 2
Let none at a Tester repent or repine,
Come bring me your money and 1'le make you fine,
Young Billy shall look as spruce as the day,
And pretty sweet Betty more finer then May :
Then Maidens [and men, come see what you laclc], etc.
To buy a new Licence, your money I crave,
'Tis that which I want, and 'tis th[is] which you have ;
Exchange then a Groat, for some pretty toy,
Come buy this fine whistle for your little boy.
Come Maidens and Men, come see ivhat you lack,
Come buy my fine Toys that I have in my Pack. 24
Here's garters for hose, and cotten for shooes,
And there's a guilt Bodkin which none would refuse,
This Bodkin let John give sweet mistress Jane,
And then of unkindness he shall not complain.
Come Maidens [and men, come see what you lack], etc.
Come buy this fine Coife, this dressing or hood,
And let not your money come like drops of blood ;
The Pedlar may well of Fortune complain,
If he brings all his ware to the market in vaine.
Then Maidens [and men, come see what you lack], etc. 36
Sorrowful Lamentation of Pedlars and Chapmen. 47
Here's bandstritigs for men, and there you have lace,
Bone-lace, to adorn the fair Virgin's sweet face,
"What ever you like, if you will but pay,
As soon as you please you may take it away.
Then Maidens [and men, come see what you lack], etc.
The World is so hard, that we find little trade,
Although we have all things to please every Maid ;
Come pretty fair Maids then, make no delay,
But give me your hansel, and pack me away.
Come Maidens [and men, come see what you lack~\, etc. 48
Here's all things that's fine, and all things that's rare,
All modish and neat, and all new Lo?idon-\v&ve,
Variety here you plainly may see,
Then give me your Money, and we will agree.
Come Maidens and men, come see what ye lack.
Come buy these fine Toyes that I have in my Pack.
"We travail all day through dirt, and through mire,
To fetch you fine laces and what you desire,
No pains we do spare, to bring you Choice "Ware,
As gloves, and perfumes, and sweet powder for hair.
Then Maidens [and men, come see what you lack~\, etc. 60
"We have choice of Songs and merry books too,
All pleasant, and witty, delightful, and new,
"Which every young swain may whistle at Plough,
And every fair Milk-maid may sing to her Cow. [jv".b. p. 24.
Then Maidens [and men, come see ivhat you lack~\, etc.
Since Trading's so dead, we must needs complain,
And therefore pray let us have some little Gain :
If you will be free, we will you supply
"With what you do want, therefore pray come and buy.
The world is so hard, that although we take pains,
When we look in our Purses we find little gains. 72
Printed for J. Back, at the Black-boy on London-bridge.
[Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st and 2nd are on p. 45 ; 3rd, the lady in an
archway, vol. vi. p. 76, right. Date, between August, 1685, and 1686.]
%* The ballad beginning "My life and my death " is preserved in the Pepys
Coll., III. 204. It is entitled, " Love and Constancy United ; or, The Languishing
Lady made Happy." Licensed by R. Pocock, printed for C. Dennison ; warning
against counterfeits. The music was by William Turner, and the song is given,
music and words, in Henry Playford's Theater of Music, 1685, i. 32; and in
Pills top. Melancholy, iii. 198, edition of 1719. The words had been printed
by J.M. for /. Back in 1687, in a ' Penny Merriment ' entitled ' The Art of
Courtship,'' sheet sign, a 3. Also in The Loyal Garland, before 1686 edition.
48 Original Song of'My Life and my Death."
W
<2L peasant Ncfo Song. [&urelia to aiwig.]
"Y Life and my Death are both in your pow'r,
I never was wretched 'till this cruel hour ;
Sometimes, it is true, you tell me you Love,
But alas ! that's too kind for me ever to prove :
Could you guess with what pain my poor heart is opprest,
I am sure my Alexis would soon make me blest.
Distractedly jealous I do hourly prove,
Thus sighing and musing, 'tis all for my Love ;
No place can I find that does yield me relief,
My soul is for ever entangl'd with Grief :
But when my kind Stars let me see him (oh then !)
I forgive the cruel Author of all my past Pain.
Of this playhouse-song the unique broadside-ballad was an elongation.
The final line (unless it has been sorely corrupted from the original manuscript)
would seem fatal to a supposition that Mistress Aphra Behn wrote the words.
There can be no doubt whatever that the Reply came direct from Tom D'Urfey
(see the Dictionary of National Biography, vol. xvi. p. 251--5, J.W.E.'s memoir
of him). He printed it in his Third Collection of Poems and Songs, 1685, p. 12,
and in Pills to p. Mel., ii. 57. It lacks his usual gallantry, but goes to the mark.
ILofce mnrjlintirtr. £ Song bg WmU%.
MY Life and my Death were once in your power,
I languish' d each moment, and died ev'ry hour.
But now your ill usage has open'd my eyes,
I can free my poor heart, and give others advice :
By dissembling and lies the Coquet may be Avon,
But he that loves faithfully will be undone.
Time was, false Amelia, I thought you as bright
As Angels adorn'd by the glories of light ;
But your pride and ingratitude now, I thank fate,
Have taught my dull sense to distinguish the Cheat :
And now I can see in your Face no such prize,
No charms in your Person, no darts in your Eyes.
Fain, fain for your sake my Amours I would end.
And the rest of my days give my Books, and my Friend ;
But another kind Fair calls me ' Fool,' to destroy
For the sake of one Jilt my whole Life's greatest joy :
For tho' Friends, Wine, and Books, make Life's diadem shine,
Love, Love is the Jewel that makes it [divine]. [0J. I. ' so fine.'
o-"J>eHg*b>'ft> —
2T!je Sobtal Petilar.
THE collecting of hare-skins and rabbit-skins, in barter for his "points and
pins, with laces and braces, and other pretty things," was no small part of a
Pedlar's trade. Two distinct ballads in the Roxburghe Collection (III. 184, and
III. 656) relate the knaveries of a ' Proud Pedlar,' cheating the girls who trusted
him. Ballad-singers held privileges, and did not always sing Virginibus puerisque
in conventicle hymns. There is no compulsion to read these two ditties ; the
first of which is reprinted from a mutilated but unique exemplar. The other is
a modern ' slip-song,' which we divide for a substantial reason, to save space.
49
[Eoxburghc Collection, III. 184, Mutilated throughout, but apparently unique.]
C6e 3lot)iall Pettier;
ox,
& mcrrg ntto Bfttg, iriljtrf) is botfj fyarmlcsse, pleasant, anti flUtttg.
To a Pleasant New Tune.
fPHere was [a] Joviall Pedler, and he cryde cony skins,
JL [An]d on his back he had a pack [fu]ll of points and pins,
[Wjith laces and braces, [an]d other prety things.
Hey down, ho down ! with a hey down, doivn,
Down, derry, derry, doivn, the Pedler never litis, [ling = stops.
But still doth cry, so merry merrily,
'• Maids, have you any Cony, Cony-skins?" 13
" Maids, bring out your Cony-skins," the Pedler doth you pray ;
For tben you may have points or pins, be they black or gray ;
[Lines are lost from the first column, the rest being torn away ] 2f>
The Pedler to an Ale-house went and call'd for beere and ale,
In midst of all his merriment his purse began to faile.
His laces and braces and all his prety things :
Hey down, With a hey down, down, Doivn. 39
When he came to pay the shot his heart grew very cold,
For he had broke a black pot, which made his Ostesse scold,
And all his money spent, which made him to lament,
Hey doivn, With a hey [etc.] 52
VOL. VII. E
50 The Jovial Pedlar.
The Pedler took his cony-skins, and his Cob-web Lawn,
The Pedler took his points and pins, [and] laid them there to pawn :
[His laces] and braces, [And all his prety things.
Hey down, etc.] [bottom of 2nd column lost.
2Tfj£ Scconfo Part, to the same Tune.
["With early woodcut : two men wearing bag-net caps.]
THe Pedler he went drunk to bed, and when he did awake.
Then he rememhred what he did, it made his heart to ake.
His Ostesse had his ware, and left him very bare. Hey down. 78
He to his Ostesse faire did say, and did prevaile so farre,
He got his ware of her again, and took his leave of her :
He took up his pack, and hung it on his back. Hey down.
The high -way it was very deep, which sorely troubled him,
Through the water did he creep, and set his ware to swim :
His laces and braces, and all his prety things. Hey down.
The Pedler on a hill did get, and laid his ware to dry.
His cony-skins was very wet, which grieved him wondrously :
His laces and braces, and all his prety things. Hey down.
The Pedler he fell fast asleep, and as asleep he lay,
Up the hill a Knave did creep, and stole his ware away :
His laces and braces, and all his prety things. Hey down. 130
The Pedler waked from his sleep, [and] found his ware was gone,
[The silly sheep he could but] weep, [then went his journey on,] [Lost linn.
With an empty pack to shew what he did lack. Hey down. [3rd column.
[HHje QTfjirtJ Part, to the same Tune.]
THere was two lovely Lasses, that in one house did dwell,
The one of them was bon[n]y Kate, the other bouncing Nell:
And either of them both had Cony-skins to sell. Hey down. 14 3
Kate brought forth her Cony-skins, from under-neath the stakes,
They were as black as any Jet, and [not] of silver haires : [' full '
The Pedler would have bought them rather than his eares. Hey down.
Nell brought forth hers to sell, one of another view, [MS. 'hewe.'
They were as good as good might be, and that the Pedler knew.
The sawcy Jack set down his pack, and set his wares to view. Hey down.
[MS. reads ' And forth his wares hee drewe. Hey doivn."1 Continues thus :
[Then hee tooke up his Packe againe, and would have gon his way,
Those Maids they cal'd him back againe, and pray'd him for to stay ;
And they would show him cunny skins, a white one and a grey. Hey downe.~\
Hesse went tripping ore the green, with one poor cony-skin, [Text.
Because shee would not have it seene, or known where she had bin,
She closely hid the same, until the Pedlar came. Hey down.
The Maidens of Cambrrwrll brought forth their skins ;
But when they came their ware to sell, the Pedler had no pins,
Nor laces, nor braces, nor such prety things. Hey down.
The Maidens have truste[d him] with their Cony-skins ; [Torn of.
And he hath [promis'd, sleek and prim, as one who cheats and wins ;
And tells them, he will come again, and give them pretty things. Hey down.]
The Jovial Pedlar. 51
[Ere two (score) weekes were gon and past, these maids began to say,
' "Where is this Joviall Pedler that vsde to come this way ?
I doubt hee hath couzen'd vs, and soe is run away.' Hey downe, etc.]
[Hiatus valde dejlendus ! Unique copy. This final stanza is supplied from
Harleian MS. 6057, fol. 55. Wit and l)rollerg, 1661 edition, prints a version of
eight stanzas, of which the first agrees with the unique broadside ; next follows
our twelfth as " There were two Joviall Sisters, that in one house did dwell ; "
our thirteenth and fourteenth follow, as third and fourth, " Kate pull'd forth her
Cony-skine," and " Nell pull'd forth her Cony-skine." They are followed by
four others, absent from our mutilated copy, given beloio, square bracketed : —
[The Pedlar he took up his Pack, and 'gan to go his -way, [Drollery version.
The Maidens call'd him back again, desiring him to stay,
For they would show him Cony-skines, a white one and a gray.
Hag down,
["I pray you, fair maids, to take no further care,
For when that I come back again I'le give you ware for ware :
But you have all at this time that now I can well spare."
Hag down.
[E're forty weeks were gon and past, the Maides began to say,
" What's come of this Pedlar, that used here every day ?
I fear he hath beguiled us, and run another way."
Hay down.
[But now these fair Maides their bodies began to swell,
And where to find the Pedlar, alack ! they could not tell,
Then they wish'd that all fair maides no more Coney-skines would sell.
Hay down.]
"We suspect that the present broadside had been issued and signed ' London,
Printed for Richard Harper in Smithjield ; ' he having become possessor of the
curious woodcut which is on it, given on our p. 49. In the same volume of the
Boxburghe Collection (III. 656) is another and more modern ballad concerning
"The Proud Pedlar," who for love of a fair wanton Lady proffered his whole
pack to bribe her to compliance with his wishes, and afterwards repented haviug
paid so high a price. He therefore went away and stood outside of the house
until her husband came home, appealed to him for redress against her, making
a false plea (cf. ' The Jovial Tinker,' and second tale in the Decameron, eighth day),
thus frightening her with exposure he obtained restitution of his forfeited ware.
(We are obliged to break it asunder ; part remainder is here, on p. 54.)
[Boxburghe Collection, III. 656.]
C6e Prouu petilar*
SO merrily singeth the Nightingale, and so merrily singeth the Jay :
And so merrily singeth the proud Pedlar as he walked along the Highway.
" The Bag at my back is worth twenty pounds, in gold and in good money ;
And I would freely part with it all, for to kiss a night with a Lady."
The Lady look'd out of her window, and hearing the Pedlar sing ;
" Sing on, sing on, thou proud Pedlar, the Song that thou didst begin."
The Pedlar look'd over his left shoulder, he looked so neat and so trim ;
" I never sung a Song in all my whole life, but I could sing it again.
" The Bag at my back is worth twenty pounds, in gold and in good money ;
And I would freely part with it all, for to kiss a night with a Lady."
[Continued on our page 54.]
52
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 444; Jersey, I. 314 ; Euing, No. 319.]
C*)e g>L Giles's Brofter.
g^etoing Soto gc tnajs chared in uuptng a C3tten Cooge,
toitg an account of gcbcral gorrotoful Ciicumaranccg
togtcJj folloto'o thereupon*
To the Tune of, Ladies of London. [See vol. vi. p. 15.]
Licensed according to Order.
THere was a wealthy old Broker of late,
"Whose Wife was an absolute Beauty,
But he so often did kiss his maid Kate,
He seldome did family duty :
E'ery night she might tumble and toss,
She'd nothing but Dreams to inflame her,
So at the length she was desperate cross,
But tell me what Christian could blame her ? 8
But as it fell out, upon his Birth-day,
Some two or three Friends he invited,
There to take part of a Green Goose, they say ;
But that civil wife, whom he slighted,
She to the market then would not go,
He must trudge himself if he'd feast her,
Yet a good Green Goose this Spark did not know,
So well as his dog knew a Tester. 16
Yet he declar'd that he well understood
A goose, when he came to the Woman,
For when she show'd him one both white and good,
He swore he'd be cheated by no man,
Saying to her, " Dame, what do you mean ?
I would not have this, if you'd give 't me;
I'll have a goose that is delicate green,
A wiser than you cannot cheat me." 24
Now when she [did] see his right ignorant skill,
And being resolved to please him,
She pull'd out one that was at Tamer's Sill,1
This into his hand streight she giv's him.
1 The meaning is clear (it was "on the go; " on the turn; more high than
pleasant), whatever the origin. Well known is the joke, possibly Goldsmith's,
about the grey peas : " Take them to Kew — that's the way to Turnham Green ! "
The St. Giles's Broker's Green- Goose. 53
" A green [er] Goose there is not in town,
It being one of mine own killing ;
The first I show'd you was but half a Crown,
For this I must have full three shilling." 32
" Tell me why you did not shew this at first,
Which seems to be greenish all over ; "
With that he straightway did down with his Dust, [W-B.
Said he, " Of green geese I'm a Lover ! "
Home to his house he strutted in state,
And there of his Bargain he boasted,
Then gave it into the hands of young Kate,
And said it must streightways be roasted. 40
But it sent forth a strong dainty perfume,
When being a while at the fire,
Kate call'd her master streight into the room,
And said, " Sir, I strangely admire,
You should buy this, 'tis not worth a souse,
No one would be able to eat it,
Nay, it will stink us all out of the house,
I vow and protest you are cheated." 48
"Prithee," said he, "let another be bought,
And go thy self Kate I entreat thee,
And cast this same in some secret vau't,
And likewise take care they don't cheat thee."
Honest poor Kate, the innocent maid,
She did as her master advis'd her,
And, as the Goose down the vau't she convey 'd,
Some two or three women surpriz'd her. 56
Then to a Justice they haul'd her with speed,
Concluding some child she did smother,
That she might suffer for that wicked deed,
And call'd her a ' Murderous Mother.'
Yet she declar'd it was but a Goose,
But Justice nor none would believe her,
Telling her, that was an idle excuse,
To gaol she was sent, which did grieve her. 64
For her returning he waiting did stand,
And seem'd to be highly offended,
At length a letter came to his Wife's hand,
Which show'd the maid was apprehended;
Reading the same, she to him did run,
With railing his ears she surrounded,
" See what your impudent Gillian has done, [gill-flirt, Kate.
An innocent Brat she has drounded ! " 72
54 The St. Giles's Broker's Green-Goose.
Then to the Justice he trotted amain,
And told him a sorrowful ditty ;
"When the whole story he then had made plain,
His case he did presently pity ;
Kate was releas'd, then home they did go,
Her Master did lovingly hand her,
Now ever since, those that do him well know,
They call him the Cunning Old Gander. 80
Printed for P. Broohby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, and J. Back.
[In Black-letter. Two woodcuts, the first is the woman in vol. vi. p. 157 ; second,
the man, on p. 203, k. Date, between 1682 and 1688.]
*** We give here the End of the White-letter ballad {interrupted on our p. 51).
£fte Ptoua Pcolar.
{Continuation.)
THe Lady took the Pedlar's hand, and through the Hall him led,
Into a large and spacious room, where cushions and pillows were laid.
The Pedlar [did st]ay with the lady all night, until it was break of day ; [' l '
And then he thought of his Tom Pack, when he had no sport to play.
" Here's twenty pounds," the Pedlar said, for to buy gloves, jewels, and rings.
" So I may have my little Tom Pack, for to get me my [own] living."
The Lady took the Pedlar's Pack, and set it upon her knee :
" If you would give me twice twenty pounds, you shall have no Pack of me."
" I will make grass grow," the Pedlar said, " and where there did srow none :
And I will stand at the Hall-gate, till your wedded Lord comes home."
At night her own wedded Lord came home, and [s]eeing the Pedlar there stand,
" What dost thou here, thou proud Pedlar ? Now this of thee 1 do demand."
" Yesterday I made a feast, for pedlars thirty-and-three,
And wanted a mortar to pound the spice, and borrowed one of your Lady.
" The mortar was your own Lady's, but the pestle was my own ;
But now she has got my little Tom Pack, and I wish the truth was but known."
' ' Come, give him his Pack. Thou proud Pedlar. What makes you here let him stand ?
Come, give him his pack and let him be gone, and this of you I do command."
"Come, take thy Pack, thou proud Pedlar, come take this Pack of thine ;
For never a Pedlar, for thy sake, shall pound spice iu a mortar of mine."
" Now this is well juggl'd," the Pedlar said, " and it is well juggled of me :
For now I have got my little Tom Pack, and kist all night with a Lady.
" By my wanton tricks I lost this Pack, by my wits I have got it again ;
And if I do live these five hundred years, I will never come there again."
[In "White -letter, Slip-song, with woodcut of a Young Highland Bagpiper.
No printer's name. Date probably after the 'Forty-five, cirva 1750.]
55
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 212. Probably unique.]
il?etoe0 from S®ovt4mt ;
©r,
% tnao Kuaoisfi an[t>] unciuil jFrolick of a Napster bfaellinp; there,
toko bupjnn; a fat Coult far Eighteen p^Jncc, tije jfWare keinrj; oeao,
ano he not knofotng hofa to bring the Coult up bg hanto, killeo it
anti hao it bakeo in a -pastie, anti inuitco ntang of his Neighbours
to the tfeast ; ano telling of tfjetn bohat it baas ; tije Conceit thereof
ntaoe tfjem all Sick, as bg this folloiuing ©ittg sou shall hear.
The Tapster fil'd the Cup up to the brim,
And all to make the little Coult to swim ;
Eut all that heares it, sayes that for his gaine,
He is no better then a Wagg in grain.
The Tune is, A Health to the best of Men. [Not = £o all honest Men.]
Tl^Here is a Tapster in More-lane that did a Pasty make,
JL All people doe of him complaine, now for his grosse mistake,
Hee, instead of Ven'son fine, a good fat Coult did kill,
And put in store of Clarret wine, his humour to fullfill.
A peck of flour at the least, with six pound of butter, [< Flower.*
Hee made his Neighbours such a feast, and bid them all to supper :
A curious fine fat Colt it was, and handled daintily :
The Tapster proved himself an asse, for this his knavery. 16
Likewise there was a Baker too that lived in that place,
And he was a partaker too, I speak in his disgrace,
For he found flour to make it, I speak not in his praise, [« Flower.'
And afterwards did bake it, his knavery for to raise.
Likewise there was a Car-man too, and he found butter for it ;
But when the knavery Neighbors knew, they could not but abhor it :
And then there was a Cooke, sir, at More-gate doth he dwell,
And he then under-tooke sir, to make the Pasty well. 32
Some say it eate as mellow then as any little chick :
But I tell thee, good-fellow then, it made the Neighbours sick :
The Tapster had his humour, but the neighbours had the worst,
Yet I doe hear they had good Beere, and dainty Pasty-crust.
Then every joviall Blade, sir, that lived in that place;
They money freely paid, sir, they scorned to be base.
They cal'd for beere, likewise for ale, because the Coult should swim.
And of the Cup they would not faile, but fil'd it to the brim. 48
56 News from More- Lane : a Pasty made of a Colt.
JEtjc Sccono ^art, to the same Ttjne.
The Car-man's wife cry'd out & said, "troath, 'tis good meat indeed!"
So likewise said the chamber-maid, when she on it did feed,
The Tapster bid them welcome then, and wea-hae did cry,
" You are all welcome gentlemen, your welcome hartily."
The glover's wife was in a heat, and did both pout and mump,
Because they would not let her eate the buttock and the rump.
As for the merry weaver's wife, I will give her, her due
She spent her coyne to end the strife among that joviall crew. 64
This Colt was not so wholsome though as was a good fat hogg,
Yet one came in and told the crew it was a mangie dogg ?
But he that told them was to blame, and was but a silly dolt,
The tapster bid him " Peace, for shame ! for 'twas a good fat colt.
" The colt he cost me eighteen pence," the tapster he did say,
" I hope, good folks, ere you goe hence, you for your meate will pay."
" Pox take you for a roague," quoth one, another he fel'd oaks, [*
Another said he was vndone ! 'twas worse then harty-choaks. 80
The porter he did give nine pence, to have it in a pye.
The people ere they went from thence, did feed most heartily.
It was the joviall baker, the knavish tapster too,
The car-man was partaker, was not this a jovial crew ? 88
The potecary he was there, the farr[ier], and sexton too :
The tapster put them in great fear, he made them for to spue,
Now was not this a knave in grain to use his neighbours so ?
"When knaves are scarce, he'l go for twain, good people, what think you ?
The [potecary] came in at last, & gave the people vomits : ['tapster'
" I hope (quoth he) the worst is past, I've eased your foul stomacks."
" Wea-hea ! " cry'd the tapster then, " how doe you like my sport ? "
The women said, so did the men, " The devill take you for't ! "
At Brainford, as I heard some say, a mangie dog was eate ;
This was not halfe so bad as that, and yet the fault was great ;
^len of good fashion then was there, that went both fine and brave,
Now all do say, that this doth heaie, " The tapster is a Knave ! "
Jim's.
London, Printed for William Gammon, and to be sould in Smithfield.
[Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, man, vol. vi. p. 178 ; 2nd, reverse of man
on p. 138, post ; 3rd, the men smoking, vi. p. 490. Date, circu 1690.]
Note. — * To fell oaks— he ready to vomit.
%* Although it be about seventy years' later date, we give a curious ditty
(not hitherto reprinted), enumerating "The Cries of London." Among them are
hot rice-milk, and ' Saloop,' a decoction from dried orchis-root, or from Sassafras.
57
[Roxburgke Collection, III. 466 ; Douce, I. 7 verso.']
C&e Cries of Lon&on,
Tune, The Merry Christ Church Bells. [See vol. v. p. 523.]
HARK ! how the Cries in every street make lanes and allies ring :
With their goods and ware both nice and rare,
All in a pleasant lofty strain ;
Come buy nay gudgeons tine and new.
Old cloaths to change for earthen ware.
Come taste and try before you buy, here's dainty poplin pears.
Diddle, diddle, diddle dumplins, ho ! with walnuts nice and brown.
Let none despise the merry, merry cries, of famous l^on&on-toivn. 13
Any old cloaths, suits, or coats ? Come buy my singing-birds.
Oranges or lemons. Neivcastle salmon.
Come buy my ropes of onions, ho !
Come buy my sand, fine silver sand. Two bunches a penny turnips, bo !
I'll change you pins for coney-skins. Maids, do you want any milk below ?
Here's an express from Admiral HawJce, that Admiral of renown. [N.B.
Let none despise the merry, merry cries, of famous London-£cw«.
Maids, have you any kitchen-stuff ? Will you buy fine artichoaks ?
Come buy my brooms to sweep your rooms.
Will you buy my white-heart cabbages, ho !
Come buy "my nuts, my fine small nuts, two cans a penny, crack and try.
H ere's cherries round, and very sound.
Maids, shall I sweep your chimnies high ?
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, goes the tinker's pan, with a merry chearful sound.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries, of famous London- town].
Here's fine herrings, eight a groat. Hot codlins, pies, and tarts.
New mackerel I have to sell.
Come buy my Wellfleet oysters, ho !
Come buy my whitings fine and uew.
Wives, shall I mend your husbands' horns ?
I'll grind your knives to please your wives, and very nicely cut your corns.
Maids, have you any hair to sell, either flaxen, black, or brown ?
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries, of famous London- town].
Work for a Cooper, maids give ear, I'll hoop your tubs and pails.
Come Nell and Hue, and buy my Blue.
Maids, have you any chairs to mend ?
Here's hot spice -gingerbread of the best, come taste and try before you buy.
Here's elder-buds to purge your bloods. But black your shoes is all the cry.
Here's hot rice-milk, and barley-broth. Plumb-pudding a groat a pound.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries], etc. 65
Here's fine rosemary, sage, and thyme. Come buy my ground-ivy.
Here's fetherfew, gilliflowers and rue.
Come buy my knotted mar jorum, ho !
Come buy my mint, my fine green mint. Here's fine lavender for your cloaths.
Here's parsley, and winter-savory. And heart's ease, which all do choose.
Here's balm and hissop, and cinquefoil, all fine herbs, it is well known.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries, of famous London-lott'tt].
58 The Cries of London, in 1759.
Here's pennyroyal and marygolds. Come buy my nettle-tops.
Here's water-cresses and scurvy-grass.
Come buy my sage, of virtue, ho !
Come buy my wormwood and mug-wort. Here's all fine herbs of every sort.
Here's southernwood that's very good, dandelion and houseleek.
Here's dragon's-tongue and wood-sorrel, with bear's-foot and horehound.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries of famous London- town.]
Here's green coleworts and brocoli. Come buy my radishes.
Here's fine savoys, and ripe hautboys.
Come buy my green Hastings, ho !
Come buy my beans, right Windsor beans.
Two-pence a bunch young carrots, ho !
Here's fine nosegays, llipe strawberries. "With ready-pick'd sallad also.
Here's collyflowers and asparagus. New prunes two-pence a pound.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries, of famous London-tow/;].
Here's cucumbers, spinnage, and French, beans. Come buy my nice sallevy.
Here's parsnips and fine leeks [for Taffy with his freaks.]
Come buy my [new] potatoes, ho !
Come buy my plumbs, and fine ripe plumbs.
A groat a pound ripe filberts, ho !
Here's corn-poppies and mulberries. Gooseberries and currants also.
Fine nectarines, peaches, and apricots. New rice two-pence a pound.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries, of famous London-town].
Buy a rabbit, wild duck, or fat goose. Come buy a choice fat fowl.
Plovers, teal, or widgeons, come buy my pigeons.
Maids, do you want any small-coal ?
Come buy my shrimps, my tine new shrimps, two pots a penny, taste and try.
Here's fine saloop, both hot and good, but Yorkshire muffins is the cry.
Here's trotters, calf's feet, and fine tripes. Barrel figs three-pence a pound.
Let none despise [the merry, merry cries, of famous London- totun].
Here's new-laid eggs for ten a groat. Come buy [my] water'd cod.
Here's plaice and dabs, lobsters and crabs.
Come buy my maids and flounders, ho !
Come buy my pike, my fine live pike. Two-pence a hundred cockles, ho !
Shads, eels, and sprats. Lights for your cats ;
"With haddocks, perch, and tench also.
Here's carp and tench, mullets and smelts. Butter six-pence a pound.
Let none despise the merry, merry cries, of famous London-town.
Printed and sold at the Printing-office in Bow- Church-Yard, London.
[In White-letter, with two woodcuts. The mention of Admiral Hawke in the
second stanza helps to determine the date (interesting solely in regard to a
scale of prices and popularity of dainties) as circa. 1759, after he had defeated
Conflans in Quiberon Bay, 20 November. Hawke's victory off Finisterre had
taken place twelve years earlier, 14 October, 1747, when he took ten men-of-
war from the French. Edward, Lord Hawke, born 1713, died 1781. Date
of our " Cries " probably 1759 ; as we scarcely claim it to belong to 1747. In
1662, "W. Turner had written "The Common Cries of London Town," to
the tune of Watton Town's End, beginning, "My Masters all attend you."
Printed for Coles, Vere, and Gilbertson.]
*** Blankly-lane, scene of the ensuing ballads, was probably Blakeney, near a
Land's-eitd promontory, at mouth of river Glaven, on the north coast of Norfolk.
Thence two thieves escaped to sea, by Yarmouth. A Lament of Geo. Mannington,
1576, begins " I wayle in woe, I plundge in payne." Compare motto on our p. 59.
59
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 30 ; IV. 80 ; Jersey, II. 169.]
Cije Ztyvtt toortbp Butclms of tt)e
I weep, I wail, and travel much in pain, [=travail.
Now all my youthful days are past, they'l never come again ;
Once I was a Man, but now, alas ! I am none,
For all my companions are from me fled and gone.
To A PLEASANT NEW TUNE.
Did you never hear of worthy Butchers three,
And how they spent their days in mirth and jollity?
There was Kitson, Wilson, and Johnson (mark me what I say),
They took 300 pounds worth of Goods upon a day.
"When as the day of payment began for to draw near,
Their money to their Creditors intended for to bear ;
And riding thorow Blankly-lane as fast as they cou'd trig, [a.l. upon.
" Be merry, my hearts, said Johnson, let us sing up a jig.
With a hey down, down, with a down derry dee,
God bless all true men out of Thieves' company." 10
Biding then up Blanldy-lane as fast as they could hie,
" Be merry, my hearts ! " said Johnson, " I hear a woman cry."
" O help, help, help ! O help, or else I dye,
O help me some good Christians, for my torments they draw nigh."
" O hark, O hark," said Johnson, " I hear a woman cry,
Sure I came of a woman, and shall I see her dye ? "
" No, ride on, neighbour Johnson,'" now Kitson he did say,
" For that is some lewd woman will cast us all away.
If you had but rid on this way as oft as we have done,
You would have heard this cry before, and now let us be gone."
Then Johnson whipt into the wood with all his might and main,
Whereas he found the woman with cords fast ty'd in twain,
With cords fast ty'd in twain, and hand and foot was bound,
And found her there stark-naked, with her hair pin'd to the ground.
" Alas ! " [to her] said Johnson, " what man hath us'd thee so ?
He came not of a woman that would work a woman's woe :
Hast thou [here] no lewd company ? " now Johnson he did say,
" For here we are come to save thy life, thou mayst cast us all away."
" No, I have no lewd company," the woman she did say,
" Three ruffians came riding by, and rob'd me by the way ; 30
" They took my cloaths from me, and hand and foot me bound,
And left me here in woful sort, with my hair pin'd to the ground."
So Johnson he whipt out his sword with all his might and main,
And presently the woman's cords, Johnson he cut in twain,
A shirt out of his Cloak-bag presently plucked he,
And put it on the woman to cover her secresie.
60 Three Worthy Butchers of the North.
" I have neither wife nor children," Johnson he did say,
And thou shalt be the Lady of all, till death take life away : "
Johnson being a loving man, and bore a careful mind,
He put his cloak about her to keep her from the wind. 40
Straight upon horse-back presently got he,
And they rode all out of the wood, and rid on gallantly :
Eiding then up Blankly -lane as fast as they could trig,
" Be merry my hearts," said Johnson, " let us sing up a Jigg ;
With a hey clown down, with a hey down derry dee,
What if there were ten thieves, so we are true men three ! "
Hiding then up Blankly-lane, as fast as they could hye,
" Be merry my hearts," said Johnson, "the Land's-end draweth nigh."
The woman hearing him say so, presently by and by,
She put her finger to her ear, and gave a squeaking cry. 50
Ten thieves then [came from a Bush] with weapons drawn in hand,
They step'd before Johnson, and quickly bid him stand ;
" "What is it so," said Johnson, " since 'twill no better be,
I vow that some of you shall dye before J killed be :
Stand fast, fight men, see that ye be not idle,
For I vow his hand shall off that lays hold on my bridle."
" Alas ! [alas !] " said Kitson, " to fight no heart have I."
" No more have I," said Wilson, " in faith, I'de rather dye ;
Here is three hundred pound that we are bound to pay,
And you shall have it all, and let's scape with life away." 60
2Efje £>£cano Part, to the same Ttjne.
" "What is it so ? " said Johnson, " fight men, and be free,
And stand but at my back, keep the back-blows from me.
Stand fast, [then and] fight, men, fight men, and be free,
And by the help of God we shall win the Victory."
Five of these thieves and the woman they did go
To Kitson and to Wilson, and bound them fast in woe :
As these 10 thieves play before him, and play'd upon the yrottnd,
For Johnson had five pistols with bullets charged, sound ;
With bullets charged sound, presently he let fly,
Till five of these thieves upon the ground did lye. 70
" Put up," said the other five, "put up without delay,
For if that he gets charged, he will kill us all this day."
" Fight on ! " said the woman, "fight on, I say to ye,
For if you five don't kill him, I vow your Priest to be."
So Johnson he whipt out his Sword with all his might and main,
And play'd about him gallantly till three more of them were slain,
" Put up ! " said the other two, " put up without delay,
For if that we continue fight, he'l kill us all this day."
" Fight on ! " said the woman, " fight on I say to ye,
For if you two don't kill him, I vow your Priest to be." 80
Three Worthy Butchers of the North. 61
As these two thieves play'd before him, alas ! he did not mind,
For presently the woman knock'd him down behind ;
" Oh wretched Woman ! " [cry'd he], " wickedly hast thou done,
Thou hast kill'd the bravest Butcher that ever England won :
For had but my fellows, had they prov'd true to me ! " —
" They were cowards," said the woman, " and as cowards they shall
dye."
Two of these Thieves [tho' wounded,] and the "Woman they did go,
To Kitson and to Wilson where they lay bound in woe ;
A club [she took] into her hand, as she got all the gains,
Went to Kitson and to Wilson and dasht out both their brains.
How this murder was discovered, list and you shall hear ;
It was by a silly Shepherd, hid in the hedge for fear,
Seeing this woful murder straight [he] sent forth hue and cry,
[To] a gentleman and his man as they came riding by.
Ay, but do what e're they could, taken [Thieves] could not be,
For they got ship at Yarmouth, and so went over sea ;
This is the trick of thieves when they have murder done,
When they have committed roguery, full fast away they run.
God bless our royal King and Queen, and send them long to reign,
In health, wealth and prosperity, true Justice to maintain,
God bless all true men that travel by Land or Sea,
And keep all true men out of Thieves' company ! 102
Paul Burges.
dfthfe.
Printed for P. Broolcsby, in West- Smithfi 'eld.
[In Black-letter. The first Roxb. copy is undivided into stanzas. Same woodcut
in both copies, represents black-vizarded thieves huddled together, with
up-raised cudgels. One man lies on the ground ; another is on his knees,
asking mercy. Date, circa 1672-79 ; certainly before 1695, when Mary died.]
*** There is another version in this Roxburgke Collection, one that appears
to have circulated extensively, six exemplars being known to us (but of Paul
Burges's Roxb. two alone, beside the Earl Crawford's, formerly Jersey Collection).
Roxb. Coll., III. 496, on p. 62, is the briefer and more rapid in narration (forty-
four lines instead of one hundred and two of the other), giving the important
addition of the woman being captured and punished. "We doubt not that it
was genuine history, truthfully told. For the fate of the poltroons, Wilson
and Gibson alias Kitson, no elegy is needed ; they may have been merry, but the
sole worthy was Johnson. Paul Burges wrote his version the earlier, and a
rival popularizer borrowed (and spoilt) his line of "Keep all true men out of
Thieves Company.'" ' Gallows and knock were too powerful on the Highway.'
Next ballad has two woodcuts. 1st, originally represented the murder of the
Rev. Wm. Storre by Francis Cartwright, who fled beyond seas, in 1613. (It is
copied in Mason Jackson's Pictorial Press, p. 24.) 2nd, woman hanging in chains,
given later in our ' Execution Group.''
62
[Eoxburghe Coll., III. 496; Pepys, II. 176; Euing, 235; Huth, II. 100;
Douce, III. 91 verso, 92 vo.]
a jfteto 16aUati of tfje Cfjree a^crrp lButcfiers,
Stub ten f^fjrJd-foag jIHen, Ijofo ttjrce -ButctKts faent to pag jfibe
plunbfcb $3ounbs aiuag, anb tjcarimj a Olloman crgtnrj m ttje
TOootj, foent to Hxelt'cue tjer, anb foas tljere set upon bo tjjese ten
f^ujtj-toag mm ; anb ijota onlrj stout Johnson foucjfjt iriittj ttjem
all, toijo ftflleb ct'rjtjt of ttje ten ; anb at last toas killcb 60 ttje
fl2Eoman [intjotn] tje iucnt to saoc in ttje flJHoob.
To AN EXCELLENT NEW TUNE.
I)LL tell you of a Story of lovely Butchers three,
There's Wilson, Gibson, Johnson, mark -well what I shall say,
For they took five hundred pounds, sir, to pay it all away,
For they took five hundred pounds, sir, to pay it all away. 4
As they rid on the road, and as fast as they could trig,
" Strike up your hearts," says Johnson, " we'll have a merry jigg : "
With a high ding, ding, with a ho ding ding, with a high ding, JJing dee,
And God bless all good people from evil company. .
As they rid on the road, sir, as fast as they could hye,
" Strike up your hearts," says Johnson, "■ for I hear a "Woman cry ; "
"With that he steps into the wood, and looks himself all round,
And there he spy'd a "Woman with her hair bound to the ground.
" 0 "Woman ! 0 "Woman ! " qd. Johnson, " hast thou no evil Company ; "
" 0 no, 0 no," says the Woman, " and alas, how can that be?
For there came ten swaggering Blades by, and thus abused me,
For there came ten swaggering Blades by, and thus abused me." 16
Johnson being of a valiant heart, he bore a valiant mind,
He wrapt his cloak about her for to keep her from the wind,
With a high ding ding, with a ho ding ding, ivith [a] high ding, Ding dee,
And God bless all good pc- pie from evil Company.
" Strike up your hearts," says Johnson, "for it's dark all in the sky,"
She put her finger in her ear, and gave a screeking cry ;
"With that there came ten swaggering Blades with their weapons ready drawn,
And they boldly came to Johnson, and bolder bid him stand.
" I will not fight," says Wilson, " for I had rather die ; "
" Or I to fight," says Gibson, " for I had rather fly."
" Come on, come on," says Johnson, " and fight a man so free,
Or stand you still behind my back, and I'll win the victory."
Then Johnson's pistols they flew off till five of them was slain,
And then he drew his hanger out with all his might and main,
And plaid it about so manfully, 'till three more he had slain,
And plaid it [about so manfully, 'till three more he had slain']. 32
" Come on, come on," says the other two, " and let us make away,
For if we do not [quit a] hold, our lives he takes away," ['A. him to 't.'
" 0 no, 0 no," quoth the Woman, " and alas, how can that be,
For if you do not hold him to't then hanged you shall be."
A Second Ballad of the Three Merry Butchers. 03
Johnson fighting these two thieves [m]ore, the woman he did not mind,
And fighting these two thieves before, she knockt him down behind,
" 0 Woman, 0 Woman ! " qnoth Johnson, "alas, what have you done ?
You have kdl'd the bravest Butcher that ever England won."
Just as she had killed him there came one riding by,
And saw the deed that she had done, and seized her presently ;
She was condemn' d for to be hang'd in iron chains so strong,
At the place where she did Johnson that great and mighty wrong. 44
London, Printed for /. Bissel, and sold by /. Foster, at the sign of the Golden
Ball in Pye- Corner. [Pepys and Euing, for /. Bissel, at Bible and Harp.']
[White-letter. Two woodcuts, as described on p. 61. Date, about 1685-97].
T
C6e German princess, bcc jFarctocll
" Mary, I believed thee true, and I was blest in thus believing,
But now I mourn that e'er I knew a girl so fair, and so deceiving.
Fare thee well ! " — Moore of it.
HE woman who helped so wickedly to ensure the robbery and
murder of " The Three Worthy Butchers of the North " richly
deserved her fate, and was hanged in chains where the crime had
been committed. JSTo one need lament her. It is very different
with Mary Carleton, known as "The German Princess," who met
her doom after a life of intrigue and adventure, not worse than
ladies of that class and disposition generally led of old ; profitable or
pleasant only while their youth and beauty were attractive.
Canterbury long enjoyed the reputation of having given birth to
Madam Aphra Behn (baptised at Wye Church, 10th July, 1640,
the daughter of John and Amy Johnson of Wye, four miles distant
from Molash), whose poems, novels, and risky comedies have made
her famous in dramatic annals. Mary Carleton nee Mary Moders,
born at Canterbury on 22 January, 1642 (sms. per col., on her birth-
day, 167|), was also connected with the stage ; she played her own
part, ' Moders,'' the heroine, in a comedy of " The German Princess,"
at the Duke's Theatre in Dorset Gardens, 15 April, 1664. ( Vide p. 66.)
J. O. Halliwell believed it might be the same play that was [for T. Roberts]
printed with a changed title of " The Witty Combat; or, The Female Victor,"
a tragi-comedy by T.P., 4to. 1663. It was 'acted by Persons of Quality' in
Whitsun-week, with great applause. " The plot of it is founded on the story
of Mary Carleton, ' the German Princess,' whose life was formed into a novel and
printed in 8vo., 1673." (T.P. was Thomas Porter, author of ' The Villain.')
The tune of The German Princess's Farewell was used later for two ballads
(on pp. 106, 107), and re-named from the former Long days of absence: thus
cited for " Long days of sadness we your scorns endured " (The Maid's Complaint.)
As showing the career of a beautiful but unscrupulous Adventuress we include
her in this ' Group of Trades and Sports.' Another ballad on her is on p. 230,
beginning, " Will you hear a German Princess, how she trick'd an EngZish-ma.a? "
64
[Hoxburghe Collection, III. 35. Apparently unique.]
^ome Luck, ^>ome 2xUit,
Being a Sonnet upon the mertjj life anb ttntimclg ocatfj of fftistress
Mary Carlton, commanlg calletJ
Cl)e German princess*
To a new Tune, called the German Princess' adieu.
FArewel, German Princess, the Fates bid adieu !
Whose fall is as strange as her story is true,
Her pedigree she from a Fidler does bring,
And Fidlers do commonly end in a string :
How many mad pranks has she plaid on the earth,
Which equally moves us to pitty and mirth,
But now for a gamhall at Christmas the fool
Must show us a trick on a Three-legged Stool. [=galiows. g
The first of her tricks was a freak into France,
To learn the French language, to sing and to dance,
And who but a Taylor should lye in the lurch,
To cut out her work and to lead her to Church :
He ply'd her too with Gold, hut when all was prepar'd
To measure the Princess about with his yard,
She bob'd off the Taylor, and made him a Goose ;
But for all her mad pranks she must dye in a Noose. 16
The German Princess : Mary Carleton. 65
Next after to Holland she steered her course,
And there she abused a Jeweller worse,
For when he so many rich jewels had brought,
Seal'd up in a box, she another had wrought ;
And thus he was chous'd by the wit of the Girl
With pebbles for diamonds and Glasses for pearl ;
"Who after his gilding most sadly bemoans, [«e»
He quite was undone for the loss of his stones.
The next that she shew'd was an JEnglish-m&n's jest, [°n Kin9-
And though there was wit in't, 'twas none of the best;
Then who but the ' Princess ! ' and happy were they
That could but obtaiu this, so welcome a prey; ['pray'
As eagerly she at the Cullies did catch,
But when she was married she met with her match ; ICarieton.
For at last an Atturney did fall in her way,
"Who gave her his Bond and had nothing to pay.
A Brick-maker then as a suitor did go, [one Billing.
"Whose news was as strange as the news from Soho ; [jy. Bene.
For when he came up to his tenement door,
He found there was one in possession before.
To furnish this room he['d] sold all that he had,
And now not to enter it made him stark mad ;
But she had the money, and kept him in awe,
By bidding him ' make up his Brick without straw.' 40
And now the young gallant that next was trappan'd
Was a kind of a Drugster, as I understand ; [?K. Tho. Day?
He thought her so rich that the prodigal fop
To gain her sold all that he had in the shop ;
But when to this prize he began to draw near
He found he had bought his Commoditie dear,
His fore-head did bud, and such pains he indur'd
As would not by balsoms or plaisters be cur'd. 48
A Limner, at length, who had heard of her fame,
"Would needs draw her Picture and give it a frame,
"With couler and varnish she cheated the Elf,
And prov'd that she painted as well as himself :
He made her a Face and a robe like a Queen,
And swore 'twas as like her as ever was seen :
But when at the tavern she left him in pawn,
He swore for a Princess a Beggar he'd drawn. 56
A thousand such pranks she did daily invent,
And yet with her money was never content,
But spent it apace : for the proverb, you know,
Says ' wealth that comes lightly as lightly does go.'
VOL. VII. F
06 The German Princess : Mary Carleton.
At Masques and at Revels, by day and by nigbt,
Witb Toryes and gallants sbe took ber delight,
She fancy'd, alass ! it would ne're be day,
And so never thought of a reckoning to pay. 64
But what was long look'd for is now come at last,
And the sentence of death on the Princess is past,
Nor could she be try'd by her peers, for, no doubt,
There was not her peer the whole nation throughout.
But if any more of the gang should be found,
They are born to be hang'd, they shall never be droun'd ;
"When people must cheat to encourage their pride,
It is a Dutch trick, which we cannot abide. 72
London : Printed for Phillip Brooksly, near the Hospital-gate, in
West- Smith-field.
[In Black-letter, with two woodcuts, one is a lunette of a German girl, copied
on p. 64 ; the other, a man and woman standing hand in hand under a tree.
Date of ballad, Christmas, 1672, mentioned in the seventh line: shortly before
Wary Carleton's execution at Tyburn, on her birthday, 22 January, 167s-.]
*£* Samuel Pepys. in his immortal Mary, loth April, 1664 (ten months after
J/tf?v/had been tried for bigamy at the Old Bailey, 4 June, 1663, defending herself
bravely, so that she was ' acquitted by publique acclamation '), tells how be went
with his wife by coach to the Duke's Theatre, in Dorset Gardens, "and there
saw ' The German Princess ' acted by the woman herself; but never was any
thing [that had been] so well done in earnest, worse performed in jest upon the
stage ; and indeed the whole play, abating the drollery of him that acts the
husband, is very simple, unless here and there a witty sparkle or two." (Diary
and Correspondence of Samuel Pepys, ii. 458, Mynors Bright's 1876 edition.)
Compare an earlier passage (Ibid. p. 235), June 7, 1663, " where my Lady
Batten [wife of Sir William] inveighed mightily against the German Princesse,
and I as high in the defence of her wit and spirit, and glad that she is cleared at
the sessions " After her return to London from Jamaica (whither she had been
transported in February, 1671), having resumed her evil courses, her final
offence was a robbery of plate from Chancery Lane : they sentenced to death this
beautiful but reckless woman, once a ' Canterbury Belle,' " witty and handsome,
' Dutch built, a stout Fregat,' " in December, 1672.
N.B. — Mary's reputed husbands were, 1st, Thomas Stedman, of Canterbury,
shoemaker, 12 May, circa 1654 (two children, by him, died young) ; 2nd, Thomas
Day, of Dover, surgeon ; 3rd, John Carleton, London, 21 April, 1663. After her
second acquittal for Bigamy she spoke this Epilogue to T.P.'s A Witty Combat :
Moders. — " I've past one Tryal ; but it is my fear [cf. p. 63.
I shall receive a rigid Sentence here ;
You think me a bold cheat ; put case 'twere so, [c/. A.B.'a Spec.
Which of you are not ? Now you'd swear, I know, Amant., 22.
But do not, least that you deserve to be
Worse censur'd than you yet can censure me.
The World's a cheat, and we that move in it
In our degrees do exercise our Wit :
And better 'tis to get a glorious Name,
However got, than live by common fame." — Finis.
67
George of ©rforti.
" Some did say he would escape, some at his fall did glory ;
But these were clownes and fickle friends, and none that loved Georgie.
" Might friends have satisfide the Law, then Georgie would find many ;
Yet bravely did he plead for life, if mercy might be any. Heigh ho, etc.
" But when this doughty Carle was cast, he was full sad and sorry ;
Yet boldly did he take his death, so patiently dyde Georgie.^
— A Lamentable Bitty upon George Stoole.
w,
HETHER we account as Trade or Sport the pranks played
professionally by Mary Carleton, alias Stedman, alias " The German
Princess," born Moders, daughter of a Canterburian choirister and
' fiddler,' she had an unchallenged right to be represented in this
" Group of Ballads," under either qualification. As a companion
picture, literally a pendant, she ought to find a male Gallant,
worthy by life and death to hang beside her. Such a one surely
is " George of Oxford " (a song not hitherto reprinted), here given.
Wordsworth declared concerning Robin Hood that " Scotland has
a thief as good : she has, she has the bold Rob Roy," and perhaps
this praise stimulated Walter Scott to make the brave Gregarach
the hero of his own noble romance. But Scotland shows a fantastic
and inexplicable modesty, a disparagement of her own resources and
native manufacture, insomuch, that she actually appropriates to
herself several of our English freebooters ; not to mention the lifting
and resetting of such portable property as she can lay her hands on,
in the way of ballads, cattle, spleuchan, bag of guineas, or author-
ship of popular poems : all being grist that goes to her mill, which
has a big dam to it. And she has even tried to naturalize ' Georgy '
as ' Geordie.' Burns contributed the version printed in Johnson's
Scots Musical Museum, 1792 (given complete on our p. 72): the
most authentic of the Scotch 'Geordie' ballads. George R. Kinloch
in his Ancient Scottish Ballads, 1827, declared that he was " inclined
to assign the sixteenth century as the date of this production," viz.
' ' There was a battle in the North, and Nobles there was many,
And they hae kill'd Sir Charlie Bag, and they laid the wyte [blame] on Geordie."
Kinloch thought that it " originated in the factions of the Huntley
family, during the reign of Queen Mary; and the following passage
in Buchanan [History of Scotland^ relates to a transaction which
probably gave rise to the ballad." But, credat Judceus Apella ! we
resemble Master Dumbleton who required better security than the
endorsement of Bardolph to Falstaff's bond. We like not the
security of Buchan or of Buchanan. We cannot accept Kinloch's
garbled version in print (on his pp. 192-194), with its burden, " My
Geordie, 0, my Geordie 0, Oh, the love I hear to Geordie ; The very
stars in the firmament [!!!], hear tokens I We Geordie ! " Kinloch's
68 Five * traditional' Scotch versions of Geordie.'
interleaved copy held this MS. Note : — " Mr. Motherwell informs
me that he has met with two copies of this ballad. One begius,
' Geordie Luckly is my name, and mony a ane does ken me, 0,
Many an ill deed I hae done, but death, has now o'ertane me, 0.'
[Better to have styled him Geordie Unlucky. ~] The other begins,
' The weather it is clear, and the wind blaws schill,
And yonder a boy rins bonnie 0,
And he's awa' to the gates o' Hye,
Wi' a letter to Geordie' s lady, 0.' "
Kinloch's own MS., seen by ns, differs much from his printed version :
"We read, third line, " And they were brought before the King," transformed
in print to "And monie ane got broken heads" ! ! ! His fifth stanza of print
was in MS. " 0 up bespoke a Baron bold, ' Such lovers true should not parted
be,' " but this is ill turned into type as " Then up bespak a baron bold, And 0
but he spak bonnie ! " It may have been, possibly, that the ballad, or a ballad,
referred to George Gordon, Earl of Huntley, who, having been commissioned to
apprehend a notorious Reiver, 'John Muderach,' had returned without having
fulfilled his charge, and was imprisoned as a punishment ; some desiring his
banishment to France, others trying to compass his death.
In Peter Buchan's Ballads of the North of Scotland, i. 133 (see
our p. 73) he furnishes a version called " Gight's Lady," beginning,
First I was Lady o' Black Riggs, and then into Kincragie,
Now I am the Lady o' Gight, and my love he's ca'd Geordie.
[Forty-One mortal stanzas in all : not immortal.]
Joseph Ritson in his Northumberland Garland, Newcastle, 1793
(from Boxburghe Coll., I. 186, or a duplicate), gave " A lamentable
new Ditty, made on the death of a worthy Gentleman, named Geoege
Stoole, dwelling sometime on Gate-side Moore, and sometime at
Newcastle in Northumberland, ; with his penitent end." ' To a delicate
Scottish tune.' Date guessed circa 1610-12. There is certainly a
connection between this sorry ' Ditty ' (reprinted in Roxburghe
Ballads, i. 576) and our " George of Oxford." They probably refer
to the same man, by name Skelton, alias Stowell ; the references to
Newcastle and Lady Gray's intercession for him become intelligible ;
London-Bridge and Oxford remain dubious localizations. It is here :
lOme, you lusty Northerne lads, that are so blith and bonny,
Prepare your hearts to be full sad, to heare the end of Georgey.
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, my bonny Love ; Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, my Honny !
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, my oivne deare Love, and God be ivith my Georgie.
"When Georgie to his Triall came, a thousand hearts were sorry,
A thousand Lasses wept full sore, and all for love of Georgy. Heigh-ho, etc.
[Three stanzas intervene: given on p. 67-]
As Georgie went up to the Gate, he tooke his leave of many ;
He tooke his leave of his Lard's wife, whom he lov'd best of any. [Laird's.
With thousand sighs, and heavy lookes, away from thence he parted,
Where he so often blith had beene, though now so heavy hearted.
He writ a letter with his owne hand, he thought he writ it bravely ;
He sent it to Neiv-Castle Towne, to his beloved Lady.
C(
George Stoole of Gates ide- Moor, 1612. 69
Wherein he did at large bewaile the occasion of his folly ;
Bequeathing life unto the Law, his soule to Heaven holy.
" [My]> Lady, leave to weepe for me, let not ray ending grieve ye : [' Why.'
Prove constant to the [yen] you love, for I cannot releeve yee. [' ney.'
" Out upon thee, Withriugtm, and fie upon thee, Phoenix .' [Fen wick.
Thou hast put down the doughty one that stole the sheep from Anix.*
" And fie on all such cruell carles, whose crueltie's so fickle,
To cast away a Gentle man in hatred for so little.
" I would I were on yonder hill, where I have beene full merrv ;
My sword and buckler by my side, to fight till I be weary. Heigh ho, etc.
" They well should know that tooke me first, tho' hopes be now forsaken,
Had I but freedume, armes, and health, 1'de dye ere I'de be taken.
" But Law condemns me to my grave, they have rae in their power ;
There's none but Christ that can me save, at this my dying houre."
He call'd his dearest love to him, when as his heart was sorry,
And speaking thus with manly heart, " Deare sweeting, pray for Georgie ! "
He gave to her a piece of gold, and bade her giv't her ba[i]rnes, [ = babes.
And oft he kist her rosie lips, and laid him into her armes.
And coming to the place of death, he never changed colour,
'J he more they thought he would look pale, the more his veines were fuller.
And with a cheereful countenance (being at that time entreated
For to conf esse his former life) , these words he straight repeated :
" I never stole no Oxe nor Cow, nor never murdered any :
But fifty Horse I did receive of a Merchant's man of Gory. [i.e. Gowrie.
" For which I am condemn'd to dye, though guiltlesse I stand dying,
Deare gracious God, ray soul receive, for now my life is flying." Heiyh-ho, etc.
The Man of death a part did act, which grieves mee tell the story ;
God comfort all [who] are comfortlesse, and di[e]d so well as Georgie,
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, my bonny love, Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, my bonny ;
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, mine own true love, ISweet Christ receive my Georgie.
iFmfg.
* Withrington (cf. vi. 742, 'Chevy Chase') must be Sir Henry, or Roger W. ;
1 Phoenix ' is Sir John Femvick, who was favoured by Lord William ' Howard of
the Marches.' Ney is merely a misprint for yen= one. Anix is Alnwick. Robert
Motherwell erred in declaring the George Stoole ballad " evidently imitated from
the Scottish song." It was antecedent. He knew not our ' George of Oxford.'
'Sl
The " Merchant's-man of Goicry" becomes in our Roxburghe Ballad, p. 72,
some horse-purchaser for Bohemia (not improbably the Palsgrave Frederick,
husband of James I.'s daughter, the admired Princess Elizabeth), Avhich helps to
mark the early date, circa 1612 (they were affianced 27 December, 1612, and
married on 14 Feb., 161f). The boast about having "never stolen horse or
mare in my life " resembles George Stoole's " 1 never stole no Oxe," etc.
(Compare our vol. vi. p. 596, on lady Gray, and Hughie Graham.) Geordie by
dances on the green, with fair ladies whom he had marked down for plunder,
anticipated Claude Duval (Bagford Ballads, p. 13, 1876) ; but Duval gave back
their jewels to each lovely partner of his Coranto. In all such matters la Grande
Nation sets au example of truer chivalry than la nation des Boutiquiers.
70
[Roxburghe Collection, IV. 53 ; Pepys, II. 150 ; Jersey, I. 86 ; Euth, I. 150.]
<&f)t ILife aim SDeatS of
George of ^DjrforD*
To a pleasant New Tune, called, Poor Georgxj.
AS I went over Zo?i(ton-~Bridge, all in a misty morning,
There did I see one weep and mourn, lamenting for her Georgy :
" Sis time it is past ; Sis life it will not last,
Alack, and alas ! there is no Remedy !
Which makes the heart icithin me ready to burst in three,
To think on the death of poor Georgy."
" George of Oxford is my name, and few there's but have known me,
Many a mad prank have I play'd, but now they've overthrown me.
My time it is past [my life it will not last]" etc.
Oh ! then bespake the Lady Gray, " I'le haste me in the morning,
And to the Judge I'le make my way, to save the life of Georgy.
Sis time it is past ! Sis life else it may cost ;
Alack, and alas ! is there no Remedy ?
It makes the heart within me ready to burst in three,
To think on the death of poor Georgy. 33
George of Oxford. 71
"Go, saddle me my milk-white Steed, go saddle me my bonny,
That I may to New-Castle speed, to save the life of Georgy.
His time it is past : \_His life it will not last']," etc.
But when she came the Judge before, full low her knee she bended,
For Georgy1 s life she did implore, that she might be befriended.
" Sis time may be past ; his life else it may cost,
Alack, and alas ! is there no Remedy f
It makes the heart within me ready to burst in three,
To think on the death of poor Georgy ! "
" Oh rise, oh rise, fair Lady Gray, your suit cannot be granted ;
Content your self, as well you may, for Georgy must be hanged.
His time it is past, \_His life it cannot last],'" etc.
She wept, she wail'd, she [w]rung her hands, and ceased not her
mourning ; [''/• vi- 596.
She offer'd Gold, she offer'd Lands, to save the life of Georgy.
" His time it is past ! [his life it cannot last]," etc. 77
I
d§£0ttje'0 Confession.
Have travell'd through the Land, and met with many a man, Sir,
But Knight or Lord I bid him stand; he durst not make an answer.
But my thread it is spun, My glass is almost run,
Alack and alas ! there is no remedy !
Which makes my heart within me ready to burst in three,
To die like a Dog ! " (says poor Georgy). 88
" The Brittain bold that durst deny his money for to tender,
Though he were stout as valiant Guy, 1 forced him to surrender.
But now my thread is spun \_My glass is almost run], etc.
" But when the money I had got, and made him cry peccavi,
To bear his charge, and pay his shot, a Mark or Noble gave I.
But my thread it is spun [My glass is almost run], etc.
" The Ladies when they had me seen, would ne'r have been affrighted,
To take a dance upon the Green with Georgy they delighted.
But now my thread is spun [My glass is almost run], etc.
" When I had ended this our wake, and fairly them bespoken,
Their rings and Jewells would I take to keep them for a Token.
But now my thread is spun [My glass is almost run]," etc.
" The Hue and Cry " for George is set, a proper handsome fellow,
With Diamond-eyes as black as jet, and Locks like Gold so yellow.
His time it is past [his life it cannot last]," etc.
Long it was, with all their art, e're they could apprehend him,
But at the last his valiant heart no longer could defend him.
His time it was past [his life it could not last], etc.
72 ' Georgy ' of Oxford and Burns's ' Geordie ' of Scotland.
" I ne'r stole Horse nor Mare in my life, nor Cloven-foot or any,
But once, Sir, of the King's white steeds, and I sold them to Bohemia?'*
Sis time it was past \_his life it could not last], etc. isee p. 69.
Georgy he went up the hill, and after [him] followed many ;
Georgy was hanged in silken string, the like was never any.
His time it ivas past, his life will not last,
Alack, and alas ! there is no remedy,
[ Which makes the heart ivithin me ready to burst in three,
To think on the death of poor Georgy]. 176
Printed for P. Brooksby, in West-Smilhfield.
[In Black-letter, -with the two woodcuts, as on p. 70. Issued by Philip Brooksby,
between 1671 and 1692 ; the Pepys-exemplar is marked Brooksby " at the
sign of the Golden Ball, near the Bear-Tavern in Bye-corner." Probably this
was reprinted from an earlier and lost broadside, temp. Jacobi I., circa 1612.]
*** Here follows the earliest printed Scotch version of " Geordie," and the best.
'The Country Lass [Boxb. Bds., i. 165) tune is now used for Sally in our Alley.
(The Scots Musical Museum version, iv. 357, 1792.)
Tune of, The Country Lass [=' Altho' I be a Country Lass '].
THERE was a battle in the North, and nobles there we[re] many,
And they hae kill'd Sir Charlie Hay, and they laid the wyte on Geordie.
0, he has written a lang letter, he sent it to his Lady ;
" Ye maun cum up to Enbrugh town, to see what word's o' Geordie." [Edinbro'.
When first she look'd the letter on, she was baith red and rosy ;
But she had na read a word but twa, till she wallow' t like a Lily. [Faded.
" Gar get to me my gude grey steed, my menzie a' gae wi' me ; [followers.
For I shall neither eat nor drink, till Enbrugh town shall see me."
And she has mounted her gude grey steed, her menzies a' gaed wi' her ;
And she did neither eat nor drink, till Enbrugh town did see her.
And first appear'd the fatal Block, and syne the Aix to head him ;
And Geordie cumin down the stair, and bands o' aim upon him.
But tho' he was chain'd in fetters Strang, o' airn and steel sae heavy,
There was na ane in a' the Court, sae braw a man as Geordie.
0 she's down on her bended knee, I wat she's pale and weary ;
" 0 pardon, pardon, noble king, and gie me back my Dearie !
" I hae borne seven sons to my Geordie dear, the seventh ne'er saw his daddie ;
0 pardon, pardon, noble King ! Pity a wael'ul Lady ! "
" Gar bid the Headin'-man mak' haste," our King reply'd, fu' lordly.
" O noble King, tak a' that's mine, but gie me back my Geordie ! "
The Gordons cam, and the Gordons ran, and they were stark and steady ;
And ae the word amang them a' was, " Gordons, keep you ready ! "
An aged Lord at the King's right hand, says, " Noble King, but hear me ;
Gar her tell down five thousand pound, and gie her back her Dearie." [Scots.
George Gordon of Gight, and Big net's Lady. 73
Some gae her marks, some gae her crowns, some gae her dollars many ;
And she's tell'd down five thousand pound, and she's gotten again her Dearie.
She blinkit blythe in her Geordie1 s face, says, " Dear I've bought thee, Geordie ;
But there sud been bluidy bouks on the green, or I had tint my laddie."
He claspit her by the middle sma\ and he kist her lips sae rosy ; [<?. interpolated ?
' ' The fairest flower o' woman-kind, is my sweet bonnie Lady ! "
— *-5J£3-e< —
The music of Geordie is given in an Appendix to Kinloch's Ancient Scottish
Ballads, 1827. W. £. Aytoun thought the song bore no " mark of having been
altered by [Burns], with the exception, perhaps, of the concluding stanza" (Ballads
of Scotland, ii. 48, 1857). Bouks = corpses ; tint=\ost; pound Scots = shilling.
Peter Buchan (Anc. Bds. and Songs of the North of Scotland, 1828 ; Keprint
1875, i. 299) refuses to endorse Allan Cunningham's acceptance of Kinloch's
explanation, as to George Gordon, Earl of Huntley, his offence, neglect to
apprehend Muderach, chief of the clan or family of the McKanalds (Buchanan's
Hist. Scotland, 1799, vol. ii. p. 222). Buchan declares, "the genuine old
ballad was composed upon quite another incident, and recounts an affair
which actually took place in the reign or rather minority of King James VI.
[of Scotland = James I. of England]. Sir George Gordon of Gight [an ancestor
of Lord Byron], had become too intimate with the Laird of Bignet's lady, for
which the former was imprisoned, and likely to lose his life ; but for the timely
interference of Lady Anne, his lawful spouse, who came to Edinburgh to plead
his cause, which she did with success,— gained his life, and was rewarded with
the loss of her own, by the hand of her ungrateful husband." Of the utter
rubbish foisted on Buchan, let the conclusion suffice in proof. Gight's lady had
been covetted by Lord Montague, but she thus in dulcet tones rebukes his boast
of '• I wish that Gight had wanted the head, I might enjoy'd his lady : " —
Out it speaks the lady hersell, " Ve need ne'er wish my body ;
0 ill befa' your wizen' d snout ! Would ye compare wi Geordie ? "
She mounts her steed, sitting behind Geordie, and proclaims her love for him,
and avouches all she has done for him, but he boasts that he loves his paramour
more than he loves his wife, Lady Anne :
He turn'd him right and round about, and high, high looked Geordie ;
" A finger o' Bignet's lady's hand is worth a' your fair body.
" My lands may a' be masterless, my babes may want their mother ;
But I've made a vow, will keep it true, I'll be bound by no other."
These words they caus'd a sharp dispute, and proud and fierce grew Geordie I
A sharp dagger he pulled out, and pierc'd the heart o's lady.
The lady's dead, and Gight he's fled, and left his lands behind him ;
Altho' they searched south and north, there were nane ihere cou'd find him.
Now a' that liv'd into Black-Biggs, and likewise in Eincraigie,
For seven years were clad in black, to mourn for Gight's own lady.
No, no, no. We refuse to accept this George Gordon the wife-slayer (even if,
following another tradition, he drowned her) as the veritable " Geordie " of
Burns's contribution to Johnson's Museum, or the " Georgy" of our ballad and
of Oxford. George Stoole, of Newcastle, 1612, is the preferable representative ;
" and there the matter remains " :
J'n'en dis pas davantage, Mironton, Mironton, Mirontaine,
J'n'en dis pas duvanlage, car en viola, z-assez.
7-4
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 230; Bagford. II. 114; Pepys, III. 31; Rawlinson,
12G ; Jersey, I. 229 ; Douce, II. 258 ; Wood's, 401, fol. 97 ; and 402, 55.]
S&oom for a Sobtal 8ftnfttt: ©lb Brass to fHento.
Here is a Tinker full of mettle,
The which can mend pot, pan, or kettle ;
For stopping of holes is his delight,
His work goes forward day and night.
If there be any women brave
Whose Coldrons need of mending have,
Send for this Tinker, nere deny him,
He'l do your work well if you try him.
A proof of him I'le forthwith show,
'Cause you his workmanship may know.
The Tune is, Behold the man [with a glass in his hand].
[The Jovial Tinker : Cf. Merry Drollery, 1661 : ' There was a Lady in this land.']
IT was a Lady of the North she lov'd a Gentleman,
And knew not well what course to take, to use him now and than.
Wherefore she writ a Letter, and seal'd it with her hand,
And bid him be a Tinker, to mend both pot and pan.
With a hey ho, hey, derry derry down ; tvith hey trey, down down derry.
And when the merry Gentleman the Letter he did read,
He got a Budget on his back, and Apron with all speed,
His pretty shears and pincers, so well they did agree,
With a long pike-staff upon his back, came tripping o're the Lee.
With a hey [ho, hey, derry derry down], etc. 20
Room for a Jovial Tinker. 75
When he came to the Ladye's house, he knocked at the gate,
Then answered this Lady gay, ' ' Who knocketh there so late ? "
" 'Tis I, Madam," the Tinker said, " I work for gold and fee :
If you have any broken pots or pans, come bring them all to me."
With a hey \Jio, hey, derry derry down], etc.
" I am the bravest Tinker that lives beneath the sun,
If you have any work to do, you shall have it well done ;
I have brasse within my Budget, and punching under my Apron,
I'm come unto your Ladyship, and mean to mend your Coldron."
With hey [Jw, hey, derry derry down], etc. 40
" I prethee," said the Lady gay, " bring now thy budget in,
I have store of work for thee to do, if thou wilt once begin."
Now when the Tinker he came in, that did the budget bear,
" God bless," quoth he, "your Ladyship! God save you Madam fair."
With hey [ho, hey, derry derry down], etc.
But when the Lady knew his face, she then began to wink, [a. I. blink.
" Hast[e], lusty Butler ! " then quoth she, " to fetch the man some drink.
Give him such meat as we do eat, and drink as we do use,
It is not for a Tinker's Trade good liquor to refuse."
With hey ho, hey derry derry down ; with key tre, down down derry. GO
But when that he had eat and drunk, the truth of all is so,
The Lady took him by the sleeve, her work to him to show,
" Set up thy tools, Tinker," quoth she, " and see there be none lost,
And mend my Kettle handsomely, what ere it doth me cost." With hey, etc.
" Your work, Madam, shall be well done, if you will pay me for't ;
For every nayl that I do drive you shall give me a mark.
If I do not drive [like a Tinker true] I'le have nothing for my pain,
And what I do receive of you shall be return'd again." With hey, etc. 80
At last being come into the Room where he the work should do,
The Lady lay down [all her pride] and so did the Tinker too :
Although the Tinker knockt amain, the Lady was not offended,
But before that she [rose up again], her Coldron was well mended. With, etc.
But when his work was at an end, which he did in the dark,
She put her hand into her purse, and gave him twenty mark.
" Here's mon[e]y for thy work," said she, "and I thank thee for thy pain,
And when my Coldron mending lacks I'le send for thee again." With hey, etc.
The Tinker he was well content for that which he had done,
So took his budget on his back, and quickly he was gone.
Then the Lady to her husband went, " O my dear Lord," quoth she,
I have set the bravest Tinker at work that ever you did see." With hey, etc.
" No fault at all this Tinker hath, but he takes dear for his work,
That little time that he wrought here it cost me twenty mark."
" If you had bin so wise," quoth he, " for to have held your own,
Before you set him to his work the price you might have known." With, etc.
" Pray hold your peace, my Lord," quoth she. " and think it not to[o] dear.
If you cou'd doo't so well 'twould save you forty pound a year."
With that the Lord most lovingly, to make all things amends,
He kindly kist his Lady gay, and so they both were friends. With hey, etc.
You merry Tinkers, every one, that hear this new-made Sonnet,
When as you do a Lady's work be sure you think upon it :
Drive home your nayls to the very head, and do your work profoundly,
And then no doubt your Mistresses will pay you for it soundly. With hey, etc.
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and W. Gilbertson.
[Black-letter. Two cuts, pp. 74, and 76. Far. led., cf. p. 77. Date, circa 165C]
76
Room for a J octal Tinker.
[Second cut of ' The Jovial Tinker,' mentioned on p. 75 ; and p. 77.]
Note. — That this woodcut originally represented the disguised ' Gentleman '
whom the fair ' Lady of the North' had caused to personate a " Jovial Tinker,"
and that the other figure was intended for her grave unsuspicious husband, of
advanced age and solemn dignity, is demonstrable. The antique style of the
woodcut indicates an earlier date than 16.56 to the ballad reprinted on p. 74.
We find it entered to John Trundle, 22 March, 1616, ' the ballad called the Jolly
Tinker.' The cut was used by Francis Coules, also by Henry Gosson. It became
mutilated (as in Roxb. Bds., iii. 492, printed by W. Gilbertsou), sacrificing one
figure and preserving the Tinker alone. The adventurous lover shows something
of his courtly grace, despite the hood which muffles his sharply-cut features. The
version in Merry Drollery, i. 134, 1661, differs in diction from the broadside,
though little in the story. The Lady, with clever duplicity, keeps up the noise
by hammering on the kettle, while the pretended tinker solicits her favour : —
And whilst he play'd and made her sport, their craft the more to hide,
She with his hammer stroke full hard against the Cauldron side ;
Which made them all to think and say, ' The Tinker wrought apace ! ' —
And so be sure he did indeed, but in another place.
Later, as a Scotch song, entitled " Clout the Cauldron," it was printed by Allan
Ramsay in his Tea- Table Miscellany, vol. i. 1724, and became popular in the
North. Tradition assigned the adventure to a Gordon, of the Kcnmure family
(Cromek's Reliques of Burns, p. 199) ; but the lover is repulsed by the Lady: —
" ' Sir, ye appear a cunning man, but this fine plot you'll fail in,
For there is neither pot nor pan of mine you'll drive a nail in.
Then bind your budget on your back, and nails up in your apron,
For I've a tinker under tack [bond], that's us'd to Clout my Cauldron.'
Fa adrie didle didle, etc.''''
[Text of p. 75 reads ' the nay I to the head ; ' ' on the bed ; ' and 'from the bed.'~\
The Old Pudding-pye Woman. 77
*#* Whatever may be found suitable hereafter, there is no need to allot much
space at present to two such silly ballads, full of senseless iteration to fill up their
respective broadsides, as 1st. " The Old Pudding-pye Woman set forth in her
colours, etc.," to a rare new Tune [its own], much in use, or. There ims an Old
Wife. (In the Pepys Collection, I. 444, a tune is mentioned of Pudding- P ye
Doll.) 2nd. "The Ragman," by John Lookes, who seems to have been hard-
bound for ideas, dealing much in repetitions, but fortunately was not encouraged
to write other ballads, or if he did so all have perished that bore his name. His
may be ' The Old Pudding-pye Woman,' which connects itself with our later-
dated "Cries of London," p. 57, by the following motto (Roxb. Coll., II. 388;
Pepys, III. 121 ; Euing, No. 26L ; Jersey, I. 301) :—
Of all the rare and various London cryes
There's none that doth excell ' Hot Pudding-pyes ! '
Each one that hears it, being bit with hunger,
Would wish himself to be a Pudding-monger :
For many likes such victuals for the nones,
Because in Pudding-Pyes there is no bones.
Of the twelve stanzas, we give the first, third to fifth, eighth, tenth, to end
(delaying second, sixth, seventh, and ninth). We suspect John Lookes wrote it.
ftfje ©ID PutiDtncf=pse OToman.
THere was an Old Wife and she sold Pudding pyes,
She went to the Mill, and the dust blew into her eyes. [i.e. Flour-mill.
She has Hot Puddings and Cold Puddings to sell,
Where ever she goes you may follow her by the smell . . .
She calls up her Neighbors, for to go and fuddle a Pot,
Because to go fasting, O she likes it not !
Her Bub she doth tipple, and then having cleared her eyes [Bub = drink.
She goes to the Oven, to fetch Pudding-pyes.
" O Baker! " quoth she, " I prethy do not me cozen ;
I am an Old wife, tell fifteen to the dozen ;
For by that means my profit doth fairly rise.
Or else I must never more cry Pudding-pyes."
At every Corner, and in every street,
This Pudding-pye- Woman be sure you oft shall meet;
With Basket on head, and hand on her Butock, she cryes,
" Come here, all away, that will buy Hot Pudding-pyes ! "
In Winter [when it snows] you may behold her dragled Tail,
And lagging [slow] she goes along just like a Snail ;
All sprinkled with mire, a handful about her thighs ;
You that have good stomacks, come buy her Pudding-pyes ! . . .
Her Puddings are fat, in Summer they use to fry
With heat of the Sun, or else she hath told a Lye :
But what she puts in them, I swear I cannot devize,
Then buy, and you'l try, how you like her Pudding-pyes.
She hath a young Daughter, that takes after her Mother,
And will be as like her as one Pea 's like another.
If any young man have a mind to such a rare prize,
He shall have her Daughter and all her Pudding-pyes.
And thus you may see how I this Woman describe ;
'Tis nothing to me, I'm sure she'l give me no bribe ;
But that I am content, since that I have told no lyes,
Then farewell to those that do cry Hot Pudding-Pyes.
London, Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarke.
[Black-letter, two woodcuts. Date, 1674-1681.]
78
The Ragman (: himself one of ragged Looks).
Of the Ragman's fourteen ten-line stanzas, four may suffice. The tunes named
for it are, Upon the highest Mountains, and [Must] the absence of my Mistresse.
The second tune-name marks the first line of a ditty already reprinted in
these Foxburghe Ballads, vol. ii. p. 317 (Roxb. Coll., I. 320), beginning, "Must
the absence of my Mistresse." The title is "A Pair of Turtle-Doves; or, A
dainty new Scotch Dialogue." Our Ragman has a motto-verse or Argument: —
[Roxburghe Coll., III. 182. apparently unique.]
&§t Eacf-JHau ,
OR,
A company that fell at oddes one day
Which of them should carry the Cunny-skins away.
They strove who should have it. but none of them [were] wise,
For the Usurer and the Divell carry away the prize.
THere was a Ragman and a mad-man, as they travelled on a d:iy,
There came a Begger and a Bagman, and stole the cunny-skins away.
Quoth the Mad-man to the Rag-man, " I have it in my braine,
To make the Begger and the Bagman bring the Cunny-skins again." 10
Then with a cup of fuddle, the Mad-man he did take
The Bagman on the noddle, till his braines began to ake,
Till the Begger he did stagger, he had drunke himselfe so blinde :
Thus they pay'd them, till they made them leave the Cunny-skins behind. 20
[There successively appear a lock-smith and a drinker ; a black-smith and a
tinker ; a cobler and a broom-man ; a car-man and a plow-man ; then, in the
second part, a joiner and a rope-maker ; a brewer and a baker ; a glover and a
weaver ; a fidler and a pedlar : a broker and a taylor ; a hangman and a jaylor ;
lastly, a royster and a reveller ; with the ultimate victors, ending thus : — ]
It was a Royster and a Revell. as they did meet one day,
Came an Usurer and the Devill, stole the Cunny-skins away.
Quoth the Royster to the Revell, " We'lle take them on the braine :
We'lle make the Usurer and the Devill bring the Cunny-skins again."
The Royster with his rapier at the Devill he did runne,
And at him he did vapour, but could not make him shunne.
Whilst the Revell he did cavell. crying out " We have foul play ! "
For the Usurer and the Devill beares the Cunny-skins away. 140
JFinfe.
London, Printed for Francis Grove on Snow-hill. John Lookes.
[Black-letter. Five woodcuts. Date, circd 1620-1655, probably 1652.]
This girl belongs to p. 85 ; the man to our Ragman ballad. Another cut, ii. 373.
%s^
-^SSW s,P
'9
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 354; Pepys, IV. 244; Jersey, II. 65; Douce, II. 152.]
Ct)e fl^ap^Dap Country flprtl) ;
%ty gotmg llaos ano Masses' 3Ini10crnt liUcreatiotn
Mf)kf) i0 to bt pxtfti before Courrtp pomp anti pagttmr*
To an Excellent New Tune. Licensed according to Order.
" TOan, to the Maypole away let's run,
The time is swift and will be gone,
There go the Lasses away to the Green,
Where their beauties may be seen :
Nan, [D^\oll, Kate and Moll,
Brave Lasses have Lads to attend 'urn,
Hodge, Nick, Tom, Dick,
Brave dancers, who can amend 'um ?
[Text, "Noll."
*%* We begin this Half-Group of Sports with a lively ditty, of which the
tune is given in Popular Music, p. 302 ; also in Pills to p. Melancholy, i. 262,
accompanying D'Urfey's song, " The Clock had struck, faith, I cannottell what."
Line 48. — Dance-tunes used for Ballads, The New Boree; Boree la Base;
Boree, or, Sweet William ; are all in Henry Playford's Lancing Master, 1695 ed.
80 The May-Bay Country Mirth.
" Did you not see the Lord of the May,
Walk along in his rich array ?
There goes the Lass that is only his,
See how they meet and how they kiss !
Come Will, run Gill,
Or dost thou list to lose thy labour ?
Kit Croud, scrape aloud, P* Tbe fiddler. Orowder.
Tickle her, Tom, with a Pipe and Tabor ! 1 6
' " Lately I went to a Mask at Court,
"Where I see Dances of every sort ;
There they did dance with time and measure,
But none like Country Dance for pleasure :
There did they dance just as in France,
Not like the English lofty manner, [Ox/. Droll, ' lusty m.'
And every she, must furnished be
With a feather' d knack when she sweats for to fan her.
" But we when we dance, and do happen to sweat,
Have a Napkin in hand for to wipe off the wet,
And we with our doxies do jig it about,
Not like the Court which often are out ;
If the Tabor do play, we thump it away,
And turn and meet our Lasses to kiss 'em ;
Nay, they will be as ready as we,
That hardly at any time [we] can miss 'em. 32
" Yonder comes Dolly over the Down,
And Roger he gives her a fair green Gown,
See how he hands her up again,
And how they trip along amain ;
They pass, o'er the grass,
And at every Stile they are billing,
He gives, she receives,
Being youthful, ready and willing. 40
" There is not any that shall out-vye
My little pretty Joan and I ;
For I'm sure I can dance as well
As Robin, Jenny, Tom, or Nell :
Last year, we were here,
When ruff Ralph he play'd us a Roree, [SeeJVb/«,on. p. 79.
And we, merrily
Thumpt it about and gain'd the glory. 48
" Come, sweet Joan, let us call a new Dance,
That we before them may advance,
Let it be what you desire and crave,
And sure the same sweet Joan shall have."
i.
May-Day Country Mirth. 81
She cry'd and reply' d,
If to please me thou wilt endeavour,
Sweet pig, the Wedding Jigg,
Then, nay dear, I'll love thee for ever." 56
Sure I will grant thee thy request,
And learn thee that among the rest ;
For e'er it be long we'll Marry'd be,
And then my pretty Joan shall see,
Pine toys, sweet joys,
And soft kisses too, out of measure ;
Sweet charms, in my arms,
This will be a fountain of pleasure. 64
" And if we hold on as we begin,
Joan thee and I the Garland shall win :
Nay, if thou live till another day,
I'll make thee Lady of the May •
Dance about, in and out,
Turn and kiss, and then for greeting ;
Now Joan, we have done,
Pare thee well till the next merry meeting." 72
[No colophon. Pepys' ' ' printed for W. Thackeray, at the sign of the Angel in
Duck-Lane" Black-letter, two woodcuts. Date, circa 1672-84.]
[This earlier version is from a MS., formerly Rev. J. H. Todd's, dated 1630. It
shows the hand of a courtier Poet, who pines for rural felicity. Our broadside
ballad is the popularized extension of the song.]
& fHag^arj JSallaU.
TONE, to the J/>n/-pole away let us on, Tyme is swift, and will be gone ;
*J See how the Wenches hie to the Greene, where they know they shall be seene,
Besse, Moll, Kate, Doll, these want no loves to attend them ;
Hodge, Dick, Tom, Nick, brave dauncers, who can amend them ?
Jone, shall we have now a Say or a Rounde, or some daunce that is new founde ?
Lately I was at a Masque in the Courte, where I saw of every sorte
Many a dance, made in France, many a Brawle and many a measure ;
Gay coates, sweet notes, brave wenches, 0 'twas a treasure !
But now, methinkes these courtlye toyes Us deprive of better joyes ;
Gowne made of gray, and skin softe as silke, breath as sweet as morning milke ;
O these more please, these hath my Jone to delight me :
False wiles, Courte smiles, none of these hath Jone to. despight me. (1630.)
iFinfe.
[In the three-fold collection made by Captain "William Hicks, entitled " Oxford
Drollery, 1671, the Second Part (not his own, which is the Third), p. 85, five
stanzas are given, viz. our four on p. 78, and the final stanza, " And if we hold
on as we begin,'' etc. Win. Hicks notes it as by one of the Oxford University
Wits, " the third and fourth verses being lately added." Of . Pills, ii. 175.]
*#* From dancing round a May-pole to dangling a pole with May-flies, making
fish dance instead, is an easy transition. Our " Jovial Anglers " is in the 1670
Merry Drollery Complete (not in 1661 edition), without the Massauiello stanza (5th).
VOL. VII. G
82
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 232 ; Jersey (now Earl Crawford's), II. 248.]
€f)e iRogal Eccceation of 3fotrial anglers
Proving that all men are Intanglers,
And all Professions are turn'd Anglers.
To the tune of, AmarilUs. [1663. See vol. vi. p. 113.]
OF all the Recreations which attend on humane nature,
There's nothing soares so high a pitch, or is of such a stature,
As is a subtle Angler's life, in all Men's approbation,
For Anglers' tricks, do daily mix, with every Corporation.
When Eve and Adam liv'd by love, and had no cause for jangling,
The Devil did the waters move, the Serpent fell to angling :
He baits his hook, with God-like look, quoth he, " This will intangle her ;
The woman chops, and down she drops : the Devil was first an angler.
Physitians, Lawyers, and Divines, are most ingenious janglers ;
And he that tryes, shall find in fine that all of them are anglers :
Whilst grave Divines doe fish for souls, Physitians, like cormudgeons,
Do bait with health to fish for wealth, and Lawyers fish for gudgeons.
A Politician, too, is one, concern'd in Piscatory ;
lie writes, and fights, unites, and slights, to purchase wealth, and glory ;
His plummet sounds the kingdom's bounds to make the fishes nibble ;
He draws 'em with a past of lyes, and he blinds them with the Bible.
[a/, led. His ground bait is a past, etc.
Royal Recreation of Jovial Anglers. 83
2TJje JSecanto Part, to the same Totte.
A Fisher man subdued a place in spight of locks and staples,
The warlike Massaniello was a fisher-man of Naples, [June, 1647.
Commanded forty thousand men, and prov'd a Royal "Wrangler ;
You ne're shall see the like agen, of such a famous angler.
Upon the Exchange, 'twixt twelve and one, meets many a neat intangler ;
'Mo[ng]st Merchant-men, not one in ten, but is a cunning angler,
And (like the fishes in the brooke) brother doth fish for brother ;
A golden Bait hangs at the hooke, and they fish for one another.
A Shop-keeper I next preferr, a formal man in black, sir,
That throws his angle every where, and cryes, " What is't you lack, sir ? "
Fine silks and stuffs, or hoods and muffs ; but if a courtier prove th' intangler,
My Citizen must look to 't then, or the fish will catch the angler.
A Lover is an angler too, and baits his hooke with kisses ;
He playes and toyes, and fain would do, but often times he misses ;
He gives her rings, and such fine things as fan or muff, or night-hood ;
But if you'l cheat a City Peat, you must bait her with a Knight-hood.
There is no angler like a "Wench stark-naked in the water,
She'l make you leave both trowt and tench and throw your self in after :
Your hook and line, she will confine, the intangled is the Intangler ?
And this I fear, hath spoyl'd the ware of many a Jovial Angler.
If you will trowl for a Scrivener's soul, cast in a rich young Gallant ;
To take a Courtier by the powl, throw out a golden tallent;
And yet I doubt, the draught will not compound for half the charge on't ;
But if you'l catch the Devil, at a snatch, go bait him with a Serjeant.
Thus have I made the Angler's Trade to stand above defiance,
For like the mathematick art, it runs through every science.
If with my Angling Sons:, I can with mirth and pleasure seaze yee,
I'le bait my hook with Wit again, and angle still to please ye.
London, Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, W. Gilbertson, and I. Wright.
[In Black-letter, with three woodcuts. 1st, a curious old cut of two men fishing
on opposite sides of a stream ; 2nd, an Exchange haberdasher ; 3rd, the Cavalier,
iii. 576 left. A Jacobean Angler is substituted on p. 82. Date, circa 1663.]
STfye Utrjjttt 3^ ace in ffotfesfynx
" YorJce, Yorke, for my monie, of all the Cities that ever I see !
For merrie pastime and companie, except the citie of London."
YORKSHIRE well deserved such praise from William Elderton (JRoxburghe
Ballads, i. 4), not having been forgetful to entertain strangers ; an angel
presented himself in the much later Poet who celebrated the Temple- Newsham
foot-race of four bonny Yorkshire maidens.
Temple- Neivsh am- Green, east of Leeds, is in the West-Riding of Yorkshire.
Another locality, Drax (a village in the West-Riding, Yorks.. seven miles
S.E. from Selby), enjoyed a more prosaic foot-race, at a much later date,
celebrated in the " New Song " (p. 85) on Eclipse, a runner who appears to have
been so nick-named, in compliment to bis fleetness, after the Epsom Racer, 1769,
whence came the proverb, " Eclipse is in ! and the rest are Nowhere ! " Biped
Eclipse beat Charles Walker, ' ' not a great runner, but a great talker ; " thus
Brag goes down before Holdfast. It was reprinted by Ritson in 1788, the year
before the never-beaten Epsom racer ' Eclipse ' died, aged 25 years, Feb. 28, 1789.
Born April 1, 1764, on the day of the great solar eclipse : hence the stallion's name.
Drax is separated from the East-Riding by the Uuse.
84
[Roxburghe Collection, IV. 76; Tepys Coll., IV. 26.]
Ct)e WLiVQin i&ace ;
©r, |3orn-shtrc's (Gloro.
Being an Account of a Bare latclg Bun at Temple-Newsham- Green ;
none feeing atmu'ttctJ to run but such, as faoetc supposed Ut'rrjins.
2Erje first that eame to the (Etna ffliles race enti teas to fjabe a
Stlucr .Spoon, the sccono a Siluer Booktn, the thi'ru a Stlbcr
Chinvblc, antj the fourth Xothinn; at all.
Tune is, A New Game at Cards. [See Note, p. 92.]
YOu that do desire to hear, of a Virgin race run in York-shire,
Come and listen, I'le declare such news before you ne'r did hear;
For I think since the world begun, but seldom Virgins races run.
Four Virgins that supposed were, a race did run, I now declare,
Sure such a race was never seen as this at Tern pie-New sham - Gr een ;
In half-shirts and drawers these Maids did run, but bonny Nan
the race has won.
A silver spoon this Nan obtain'd, the nest a silver bodkin gain'd ;
The third that was not quite so nimble, was to have a silver thimble :
And she that was the last of all, nothing unto her share did fall.
In drawers red Ann Clayton run, and she it was the race that won ;
Pegg Hall, as I may tell to you, did run in drawers that were blew ;
Honest Alice Hall that was the third, her drawers were white,
upon my word.
A concourse great of people were, for to behold these Virgins there,
Who so well acted the man's part, and love a Man with all their heart ;
But what means this ? for well we know, Maids through the nation
all do so.
Xow let us come to bonny Nan, who won a race once of a man,
In Bassing -Hall- Street he did dwell, his name was Luke 'tis known
full well,
And let me now declare to you, at something else she'l beat him too.
Let none the Yorkshire Girls despise, who are so active now a days,
So brisk and nimble they do growr, that few can match them I do know :
Then let us stand up for York-shire, those Country Ghis I love
most dear.
A York-shire girl who can out- vie? no city girls can them come nigh,
They've rosey blushes in their cheeks ; while City Girls are green
as leeks :
This with my fancy will agree, a York-shire Girl shall be for me.
The Virgin Race, in Yorkshire. 85
Then here's a health to a York-shire girl, for in mine eye she is a pearl,
"Whose beauty doth so charm mine eye, that for her I would freely dye :
Her virtues do her face adorn, and make her look fresh as the morn.
JNW to conclude, unto my friend, these lines I freely recommend ;
Advising him above the rest to love a York-shire Girl the best ;
But let him use his skill, for I will love a York-shire girl until I dye.
ift'nfe.
Printed for J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackerag, and T. Passinger.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, a ragged Beggar-maid, mounted on
horse-back, riding away from a gallant who is burdened with her bag of scraps :
a cut that had evidently belonged to " I met with a jovial Beggar, and into the
fields I led her" (Roxb. Coll., II. 241, a loose ballad, "The Knight and the
Beggar Wench," not yet reprinted). 2nd, the girl holding a fan, as on p. 78.
3rd, a Woman in Rufl", be-hooped, as in Eoxb. Bds., ii. 253 right. Date, circa 1672.]
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 804.]
% GSTcrjj Sons; °*> tje ffiamblcrg tftttetj.
TOu Sportsmen all both old and young, come listen now unto my song,
It is of a foot-race which was run, at Drax in Yorkshire, by two men,
To my fa, da, la, etc.
One of whose names it is C — s TV—r, not a great runner, but a great talker,
'Tother Eclipse, a man of great fame, for by his running he got that name.
On the twenty- [fif]th day of August, the time appointed that run they must,
Where a great many people did resort to Drax to see the famous sport.
When many people was come there, they some of them begun to fear,
Says they, " No race we shall have, I think, for C — s is come without his jink."
But soon the money he did produce, or we shou'd have said it was his excuse,
" 0 then," says they, " now let's to place, for I believe we shall have a race.''
While the company stay'd in town, they cry'd out Eclipse for half a crown ;
No sooner into the field they came, but the gamblers all chang'd their name.
They cry'd out C—s for a pound or two, which made Drax people all look blue ;
" Oh ! " says they, " our chance is ill, for these must needs be men of skill.
They started, but had not run half way, before C — s begun to shew foul play,
" 0 then," says Eclipse, " if that's the case, I'll let thee see another pace."
Then Eclipse made a spring and left him soon, which made the gamblers to look down,
Upon that Drax people gave a shout, and made poor Ch — s give running out.
0 brave Eclipse! thou hast won this race, and brought this Champion to disgrace,
Thy name shall be Eclipse for ever, while Ch — s is nought but a deceiver.
So to conclude and end my song, I hope the gamblers will think on,
And never shout with such a sound, to lay a guinea to a pound.
If any of you I do offend, with these few lines I now have penn'd,
1 ask your pardon for the same, but I'll conclude with Eclipse's fame.
To my fa, da, la, da, la, da, la, lade, dou, dade, dou, de.
[White -letter, a single slip song. One woodcut, of a Nymph standiug, with openly-
displayed bust. Jink = chink, money. Date, circa, 1771-80. See Note, on p. 83.]
86
JDate^unting anU jFor^unting §)ong&
" ' What is all this fuss about ? ' do you ask ? Why it is a fox-hunt, man."
"And do you mean to say," asked the Chevalier, "that all these men and
horses, and all these dogs, have been running after the little beast I saw
go into that hole ? "
" To be sure," answered his companion. " It is the most glorious sport in the
world ! "
" And are such accidents as these of frequent occurrence?" demanded the
Chevalier ?
" Oh, continually," replied the other. "Seldom a day passes without some-
thing of the kind. I myself have twice broken my collar-bone, once my
arm, once my leg, and have been once trepanned." . . .
" What a nice thing a fox must be ! " said the Chevalier. "I should like to
eat a bit very much."— The Commissioner, cap. vi. p. 50, 1843.
T
HERE are few Hunting Songs among the Roxburghe Ballads.
One ' Eox-Chase,' beginning, "All in a morning fair," has been
reprinted in vol. i. p. 360 ; another, " Diana and her darlings
dear," came into vol. ii. p. 520. Except " The Hunting of the
Hare," with woodcut, on p. 87, and "The Huntsman's Delight"
(Roxb. Coll., IV. 76, "Come all you young maidens,") our remaining
sporting ballads are restricted to the eighteenth century, which
produced nearly all the best ' Songs of the Chace? and the best type
of fox-hunters. " Princely Diversion," on p. 91, is a Hare-hunt;
the other two are Fox-hunting songs of the Cleaveland pack, 1785.
One on p. 95 is the record of a marvellous run, from Craythorne
to Hinderwell between Saltburn and Whitby.
It was all very well for the quaint but sound-hearted Chevalier
de Lunatico Inquirendo, in George Paul Ransford James's neglected
but sparkling novel, "The Commissioner," to wonder at the risk
and fatigue encountered by the gallant sportsmen in their pur-
suit of " the nasty stinking carrion " whom they could not eat,
when killed. So long as we admit the right to slay Reynard at all,
remembering his farm-yard depredations, the hunting him fairly
yields as honourable a death as he could reasonably desire, seeing
that he has many good chances of escape, of which he is cunning
enough to avail himself skilfully, and for anything we know to the
contrary he may enjoy the run as much as the hounds and horses,
let alone the fair Diana of the hunting-field, who sits her steed so
gracefully and takes the bullfinch gallantly, asking a lead from
nobody, but giving it by preference. To ride to hounds is better
by far than to look at pigeon shooting, with minicking minauderie,
while the wounded birds fall in the lady's lap at Hurlingham.
It is best for her to be womanly, but she forfeits nothing when an
Amazon takes the field and her fences like a man. She is out of
place in a ' warm corner ' at the cover side.
We begin with " The Hunting of the Hare," as a thing of course.
87
[Roxb. Coll., III. 202, 610; Pepys, IV. 270; Wood, 402, 79; Douce, III. 41.]
Ct)e punting of tl)e tyaxt.
mitf) £?r lam Mill anti t&mammu
&S 'tuias pErfcitm'o on Banstead bourns, [*■'■ ^amstead.
23g Cong-catcfjfts, anb their hounbs.
To A pleasant new Ttjne [Q/"aW the sports the world doth yield~].
OF all delights that Earth doth yeeld,
Give me a pack of Hounds in field :
Whose eccho shall throughout the sky
Make Jove admire our harmony,
And wish that he a mortal were,
To view the Pastime we have here.
I will tell you of a rare scent,
"Where many a Gallant Horse was spent,
On B anstead- Downs a Hare we found,1
"Which led us all a smoaking round ;
O're hedge and ditch away she goes,
Admiring her approaching foes.
But when she found her strength to wast[e],
She parleyed with the hounds at last :
Kind hounds," quoth she, " forbear to kill
A harmless Hare, that ne'er thought ill,
And if your Master sport do crave,
1'le lead a scent as he would have."
[a.l. such pleasures.
[a.l. Chadwell Close.
[=wondering at.
18
1 Banstead in Surrey (15 miles from London, 3 S.E. from Epsom). The fine
turf of Banstead Downs was early celebrated for coursing. But it is " A far cry
to Banbury," if Oxon Banbury be meant in line 116 : 1661 lect., Througabby.
88
Hunting of the Hare, on Banstead-Downs.
Huntsman.
" Away, away, thou art alone,
Make haste, I say, and get thee gone !
"Wee'l give thee Law for half a mile,
To see if thou canst us beguile ;
But then expect a thund'ring cry,
Made by us and our Harmony."
Hake.
" Now since you set my life so sleight,
I'l make Black Sloven turn to white ;
And Yorkshire Gray, that runs at all,
I'le make him wish he were in stall ;
And Sorrel, he that seems to flye,
I'le make him supple e're he dye.
" Let Barnard's Bay do what he can,
Or Barton's Gray that now and then
Did interrupt me on my way,
I'le make him neither jet nor play,
Or constant Robin, though he lye,
At his advantage, what care I ?
" Will Hatton he hath done mee wrong,
He struck mee as I run along,
And with one pat made mee sore so,
That I ran reeling to and fro ;
But if I dye, his Master tell,
That fool shall ring my passing bell."
Huntsman.
" Alas, poore Hare ! it is our nature,
To kill thee, and no other creature ;
For our Master wants a bit,
And thou wilt well become the spit,
He'l eat thy flesh, we'l pick thy bone,
This is thy doom, so get thee gone ! "
2Tfte ScccnfO ^Jart, to the same tuxe.
[Hake.]
" Your Master may have better chear,
For I am dry, and butter is dear,
But if he please to make a friend,
He'd better [ha]ve a pudding's end,
For I being kill'd, he sport will lack,
And I must hang on the Hunts-man's back."
[a./. ' company.'
[•.I.
Burham Bay.
[text,
Barron's Bay.
[cf. 1. 117.
36
[«
■ A. Kit Bolton.
{text, so sore.
[text, ' give.1
54
Hunting of the Have, on Banstead-Downs. 89
Huntsman.
" Alas, poor Hare ! we['d] pity thee,
If with our nature 'twould agree ;
But all thy doubling shifts, I fear,
"Will not prevail, thy death's so near.
Then make thy Will, it may be that
May save thee, or I know not what." [»•*• else I-
[The Hake makes her "Will.]
" rPHen I bequeathe my body free,
J_ Unto your Master's courtesie :
And if he please my life to grant,
I'le be his game when sport is scant :
But if I dye, each greedy Hound
Divides my entra[i]ls on the ground.
" Imprimis, I bequeathe my head,
To him that a fair soul doth wed,
Who hath before her maiden-head lost :
I would not have the proverb crost,
Which I have heard 'mongst many quiblets :
Set the Hare1 s-head 'gainst the Goose-giblets. 72
" Item, I do give and bequeathe
To men in debt (after my death)
My subtle scent, that so they may,
Be ware of such as would betray
Them to a miserable fate,
By blood-hounds from the Com_pter-ga.te.
" Item, I to a Turn-coat give
(That he may more obscurely live)
My swift and sudden doublings, which
Will make him politick and rich ;
Though at the last, with many wounds,
I wish him kill'd by his own hounds.
" Item, I give into their hands
That purchase Dean and Chapter's lands, \n.b.
My wretched jealousies and fears,
Mixt with salt of Orphans' tears.
That long vexations may persever,
To plague them and their heirs for ever. 90
" Before I dye (for breath is scant)
I would supply men's proper want,
And therefore I bequeathe unto
The Scrivener (give the Devil his due)
That forgeth, swears, and then forswears,
(To save his credit) both my ears.
90 Hunting of the Hare, on Banstead-Downs.
" I give, to some Sequestred man,
My skin to make a jacket on ;
And I bequeathe my feet to they,
That shortly mean to run away ;
"When Truth is Speaker, Falsehood's dumb :
Foxes must flye when Lyons come.
" To Fidlers (for all trades must live),
To serve for strings, my guts I give :
For Gamesters that do play at rut,
And love the sport, I give my skut :
But (last of all in this sad dump)
To Tower-hill I bequeathe my rump." lMav> 1660-] 108
[The Huntsman.]
" "Were ever Hounds so basely crost ?
Our Masters call us off so fast,
That Ave the scent have almost lost,
And they themselves must rule the rost,
Therefore, kind Hare, wee'l pardon you ! "
" Thanks, gentle Hounds, and so adue ! [Harb.
" And since your Master hath pardon'd me,
I'le lead you all to Banbury,
"Whereas Join Turner hath a room, [«■*• constant Robin.
To entertain all guests that come,
To laugh and quaff in wine and beer
A full carouse to your Career." 120
Jim's. [Perhaps by John Turner.]
London, Printed for Francis Grove, on Snow-hill.
[In Black-letter. Date, 1660, with the original cut of Prince Kupert and his
dog ' Boy,' not the debased copy as on our p. 11. Alongside is a valuable frag-
ment, in larger Black-letter, of an earlier edition, five stanzas, complete.
Variations noted, from Merry Drollery, ii. Ill, 1661. Roxb. Coll., III. 610,
has a Hare-Hunt, John White's White-letter reprint, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.']
" Here lies, whom hound did ne'er pursue,
Nor swifter grey-hound follow,
Whose foot ne'er tainted morning dew,
Nor ear heard Huntsman's hollow ;
" Old Tiney, surliest of his kind,
Who, nursed with tender care,
And to domestic bounds confined,
Was still a wild Jack Hare.
" Though duly from my hand he took
His pittance every night,
He did it witli a jealous look,
And, when he could, would bite."
— Cowper's Epitaph on a Hare, 1783.
91
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 600 ; Douce Coll., III. 75 verso.']
Prmcelg ©ifarsfon ; or, QTfje Sabial punting JHatclj.
[Note. — This is a Derbyshire Ditty, known as " The Trusley Hunting-Song," and
accredited to Tom Handford, the poet-blacksmith of Trusley, seven miles from
Derby, an occasional whipper-in to Squire Coke (here called Cooke), who died
in 1716, the last William Coke of Trusley. He had Tom's portrait painted, and
hung up in the Servants' Hall at Trusley, with this inscription, " This is Tom
Handford, — Don't you know it ? He was both Blacksmith and Poet."]
ONe Valentine's Day in the Morning, bright Phoebus began to appear,
Sir Wm. Cook winding his Horn, and was going a hunting the Hare ;
Says " Handford, uncouple our Beagles, and let them go questing along !
For loose her, or win her, we must go to dinner, or else they will think me long."
Says Handford, " I pray now forbare, Sir, and talk not of Dinner so soon ;
For I've not been a hunting this year, and how can you give over by noon ?
Black Sloven shall warm your bay Robin, and make him go smoacking along ;
Bonny Dick shall not gallop so quick, if we light of a Hare that is strong." 16
" Well, Handford," said the good Esquire, " I mean [for] to show you a trick;
I value not hedges nor ditches, but I'll let you know Bonny Dick.
Then hie for the C'losom- Bow-Field ; we shall get her, Ten thousand to one I
There's Wonder lays hard upon Thunder, away, o'er away, she is gone ! "
The morning was pleasant all o'er, so bright and so clear was the sky,
We made all the woods for to roar, with the noise of our sweet Harmony.
It was for the space of three hours, we held all our horses to speed,
Black Sloven held hard to bay Robin, but yet could not do the deed. 32
It was about nine in the morning, we sounded our first Passing-bell,
" Sir William, pray, put up your horn, for another fresh Hare will do well."
" Well Handford," said the good Esquire, " What think you of my bonny Dick?
Doe's think thou can make him to tire, or not for to gallop so quick ? "
" Faith, Master, I needs must confess, that I fear I was boasting too soon ;
But hie for another fresh Hare, and your Dick should have dined by noon."
" Well Handford, have at your Black Sloven, I'll make him in purple to ride;
And if he does offer to tire, I'll certainly liquor your hide." 48
*' You serve him right well," says Jack Wilson, "for he has [been] taunting at me ;
I never was beat in the field, so for a fresh Hare let us see.
For here is some Closes of Corn, see well at your place, ev'ry one,
Then Master, pray pull out your Horn, for away, o'er away, she is gone ! "
" Young Bluebell," he cry'd, " is before, and she cry'd it all over the lane ;
And after her twelve couple more : " thus they rattled it over the plain.
Bonny Dick play'd with his bridle, and went at a desperate rate.
" Come Handford, Pox take you ! you're idle ; must I open [for] you the Gate ? "
" 0, your humble servant, good Master, but I will not die in your debt ;
You shall find Black Sloven go faster, for now he begins for to sweat."
There's Wonder and Thunder and Dido, and Merry-Lass sweetly runs on,
There's Younger, Old Ranter, Tantivee, but Beauty she leads the van.
She headed them, stoutly and bravely, she up into Sutton's close field ;
Black Sloven began to grow heavy, and made a fair offer to yield.
Jack Wilson came swinging before, so well did Bay Robin maintain,
And after him Bonny Dick scour'd : Black Sloven was spur'd in vain, — 30
But had the luck and good chance, for to go now and then by the string;
She led us a delicate dance, but as we came by the last ring,
A fresh Hare, Deuce take her! was started, we ne'er was so vexed before :
And e'er we could make 'em forsake her, we run her two miles or more.
92 Princely Diversion, the Trusley Hunting- Song.
And then we left Sir William Cooke, for to ponder upon the old Hare,
Who presently leapt o'er a brook, and a desperate leap I declare :
He had not got past a mile, [but] the cunning old Gipsy he spy'd,
Was making back to her old s[o]ile, then " Away, o'er away ! " he cry'd. 96
" Away ! o'er away, my brave boys ! " and merrily winded his horn ;
Our beagles all toss'd up their heads, and they soon made a speedy return ;
And drawing just up to the point, where this cunning young Gipsy had run,
You never saw better Dogs hunt, for life, underneath the sun.
Now there was Tantivee and Ranter, they sounded their last Passing-bell,
And Wilson made moan unto Handford, " A cup of Old-Hock will do well."
And Handford cry'd, " Master, ride faster, for now I begin to grow cool.
With sweat all my cloaths are as wet as if I had been in some Pool." 112
Were not those two dainty fine Pusses, they held us from Seven to One !
We scour'd thro' hedges and bushes, so merrily we run on.
And as for the praise of these Hounds, and Horses too, that gallop so free,
My Pen would not bring it to sound, if Time would allow it to be. [a.l. Bounds.
Now Gallants, I bid you farewell, for I fear your patience I've try'd;
And hie for a Glass of good Ale, that Poetry may be admir'd.
And here's a good Health to the Sportsman , that hunts with the horn and the hound !
I hope you'l all pledge for the future, and so let this health go round. 128
[Said to be by Tom Handford.]
London, Printed by L. How, in Petticoat- Lane, near White-Chappel-Bars.
[White-letter, one cut. Date of W. Onley's issue, 1702 at latest.]
Special Notes on Tunes (pp. 84, 93, and 95).
*** The tune named on p. 84, A New Game of Cards, belongs to " Win at First,
Lose at Last," beginning, "Ye merry hearts that love to play at cards," etc.,
given in a later " Group of Historical Events and Occurrences," dedicated to our
trusty friend Joseph Grego, who has best illustrated the " Humourists in Art."
Tune of Ballinamono Ora (p. 93).
*#* Burden and tune of Ballinamona Ora, etc., belong to, 1st. — Phelim
O'Blunder's song, by Moses Mendez in " The Double Disappointment," 1747 :
" Wherever I'm going, and all the day long,
At home and abroad, or alone in a throng,
I find that my passion's so lively and strong,
That your name, when I'm silent, still runs in my song.
Sing Ballinamona oro, Ballinamona oro. A kiss of your sweet hpsfor me,"
2nd.— (John O'Keefe's " Poor Soldier," 1782), Father Luke's ' Priest's Advice,'
" You know I'm your priest, and your conscience is mine,
But if you grow wicked, 'tis not a good sign ;
So leave off your raking, and marry a wife,
And then, my dear Darby, you're settled for life.
Sing a Ballinamona oro, Ballinamona oro,
A good merry wedding for me ! " (Music set by Wm. Shield.)
Also, Armiger's later songs, " Descend, ye Chaste Nine ! strike the Chord ; "
" Don't you know I from Hawkesbury came ; " "I sing the famed Hunt; " and
the Quorenden Hounds, " This morning at work, sowing out of my hopper."
Tune of, A Hunting we will go (p. 95).
*>* See Popular 3fusic of the Olden Time, p. C51. It bore various names from
the burden, A begging we will go, A Hunting we will go, etc. Henry Fielding, in
1734, for his Bon Quixote in England, wrote " The dusky night rides down the sky."
93
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 387. No other copy known.]
% 5I?eto punting £>omr,
Wntit on a j*o* €f)m>
[To the Tuiste of, Ballinamona Oro. See Note at end, and p. 92.]
COme all you Foxhunters, where ever you be,
Repair to the Leven if Sportsmen you'd see,
Such hounds and such horses of mettle and game
As are worthy to be recorded in fame.
Sing Ballinamona oro, Ballinamona oro,
Ballinamona oro, the Lads of old Cleveland for me.
Dexter and Delver and Dido for speed,
All sprung from the race of Charles Turner's fam'd breed,
A sportsman so rare, and the first in renown,
As witness the match over Feldom he won. 12
Rover and Rally and Minor likewise,
Old Spanker, so fierce, the thick Cover he tries ;
Matcham and Merrylass, Reynard's sworn foe :
He must be unkenneld, hark ! I hear Tally 0.
Now my Lads, spur your Horses, and smoke 'em away,
Jolly Bacchus and Sampson will shew you some play,
Squire Hall, on his Wakefield, that pampered Nag,
Comes neck over heels, and yet of him will brag. 24
Burdon, so proud of his high mettled steeds,
And the annals of fame record their great deeds,
Yet in hunting he's bet sore against his desire,
He sticks in the dirt, and he's pass'd by the Squire. [Bail.
George Baker, on Blacklegs, how determined his looks,
He defies the whole field over hedge, ditch and brooks ;
He keeps him quite tight, and he only desires
A three hours chase, I'll be damn'd if he tires. 36
See thumping along goes jolly old Walker,
Whilst close at his heels lay the Gisborough Prior,
With powder and sweat, Lord ! how awful! h[is] look, ['he looks-'
" Damn you, Matt ! did you mind how I leap'd yonder brook ? "
Watson, so fierce, how he rides, and so keen,
He thinks he's well mounted, and sure to be in ;
But if he keep running at this gallant pace,
'Tis twenty to one he's thrown out in the Chase. 48
94 New Hunting- Song, on a Fox-Chase.
The first in the burst was Scroop on old Match1 em,
Straining hard to get in, Tom swore he would catch 'em,
Whilst screwing along, see Smith, only mind him,
He's top'd the barr'd gate, leaving numbers behind him.
Yonder goes StocMale so tight and so trim, [Note, below.
How he strokes down his mare which he fancies so slim.
He nicks in and out 'till he's starv'd Avith the cold,
Go bid him but thirty and then he'll ride bold. 60
Preston, so brave, with his heart full of glee,
On his Gaylass well mounted as he'd wish to be,
He swears that he'll ride 'till he dies in the field,
As a true honest Sportsman he never will yield.
Coates, on his Tyrant, he creeps like a snail,
He puffs and he blows, and how he rolls his tail ;
Yet a Sportsman so bold he attempts at a flyer,
Old Tyrant leaps short, and he's down in the mire. 72
The Baronet cautious is pass'd by his Brother,
As like, you would swear, as one egg's like another,
When fully intending to lead the whole field,
A damn'd Stell held 'em both 'till the Fox he was kill'd.
The Doctor, you scarcely know where you have him,
For sometimes he's dodging and sometimes he's dashing,
But yet to the Chase will he eagerly rush,
And lose a good Patient for bold ReynaroVs brush. 84
Roiontree, a noted old sportsman as good, [Note, below.
Who brags of his Greytail, that choice bit of Blood,
How at Stoclcesly so clever she won ev'ry Race, [St.aa Leeen.
And now that she's equally fam'd for the Chace.
Flounders, the younger, with Eyelids of Glass,
So prim on his stallion and fond of his slash,
One single good run finish'd off the gay Quaker,
And now he's gone dumb with intent to turn Speaker. 96
Now our sport being over, let's home without fail,
And drown those misfortunes in Punch and good Ale ;
And if we're thrown out we'll draw close to the fire,
And drink a good health to the Baronet and Squire.
jFim's.
[White -letter, woodcut of a fox running. N.p.n. Date, circd 1783.]
* Note. — Thomas Cole, Huntsman ; Kev. George Davison ; Christopher Rown-
tree, jun. ; William Stockdale. (These are alluded to, in line 97, on p. 95.)
Both this ballad and next are on Cleveland Worthies, of nearly the same date.
From Craythorne and Worsal (near Yarm), by Nunthorp, Roseberry, and
Kildale to Hinderwell sea-cliff was a terrific run. Noble fox !
95
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 757.]
a 312 etn jFor=©unting ^>onrj.
(Tomposcti 6g W. S. Kenrick, antl J. Burtell.
QHje (ZT^ace tun tig tfa Cleveland tfoi pjounos, on SaturtJajj tfje
29tfj ©ag of January, 1785.
[To the tune OF, A Hunting we will go.~\
YE hardy sons of Chace, give ear, all listen to my Song ;
'Tis of a Hunt perform'd this year, that will be talk'd of long :
When a hunting we do go, oho oho oho, and a hunting we will go, oho, oho, oho,
And a hunting we will go, oho, oho, oho, with the Huntsman, Tally ho.
On Weary Bank, ye know the same, unkenell'd was the Fox ;
Who led us. and our Hounds of Fame, o'er Mountains, Moors and Rocks.
When a Hunting we do go, etc. 16
'Twas Craythorn first swift Beynard made, to Limton then did fly ;
Full speed pursu'd each hearty blade, and join'd in jovial cry, With the Hunts, etc.
To Worsal next he took his flight, escape us he would fain ;
To Picton next with all his might, to Craythorn back again, With the, etc. 32
To Weary Bank then takes his course, this Fanny Bell's gill flies ;
In Seymour Car strains all his force, his utmost vigour tries, With the, etc.
To Tanton, Nunthorp, next he flies, o'er Langbrough Big goes he ;
He scours like light'ning o'er the meads, more swift Fox could not be,
Nor with a Huntsman better matclid, [taken a hunting,'] etc. 48
To Newton, then to Boseberry, to Hutton Lockerass gill ;
To Lownsdale, o'er Court Moor go we, from thence to Kildale Mill, With the, etc.
By this our zeal was not subdu'd, all crosses were in vain ;
To Kildale, Beynard we pursu'd, to Lownsdale back again, With the Hunts, etc. 64
By Percy Cross and Sleddale too, and Pilly Big full fast,
As Fox could run, to Skylderskeiu, and Lockwood Beck he past, With the, etc.
By Freebrough Hill he takes his way, by Danby Lodge also ;
With ardour we pursue our prey, as swift as Hounds could go, With the, etc. 80
By Coal Pits and o'er Stonegate Moor, to Scayling, Beynard ran ;
Was such a Fox e'er seen before ? His equal shew who can ! When a Hunting, etc.
To Barnby now by Uythorp Mill, and Mickleby likewise;
To Ellerby, to Hinderivell, still stubborn Beynard flies, With the, etc. 96
The Huntsman now with other three,* and Beynard you'll suppose ; [vide, p. 92.
Ten couple of Hounds of high degree, one field now did inclose, With the, etc.
But now our Chase draws near an end. no longer we'll intrude ;
For on the Cliff, rejoice my Friend, swift Beynard there we view'd,
With the Huntsman Tally ho, etc. 112
Sure such a Chace must wonder raise, and had I time to sinar.
The Huntsman's deeds, who merits praise, would make the Vallies ring,
When a Hunting we did go, etc.
Come Sportsmen all your Glasses fill, and let the toast go round ;
May each Foxhunter flourish still, in Health and Strength abound,
When a Hunting we did go, etc. 128
JJmts.
[White-letter. Woodcut of horseman. Date, 1785. See Notes on pp. 92, 94.]
f^cre <£nos tlje ©roup of 2Eratjes anti Sports.
9G
ENTR' ACTE.
liirtu'ittj ibt ' fllroup of (ITrabcs anU Sports.'
(To the same Joseph Knight., Esq., Acrosticized on p. 3.)
UR ' Trades and Sports ' have reached their end
(Ajirst-act curtain drops betimes) ;
Once more we greet our Knightly friend,
And yield this earliest ' Group ' of rhymes.
He leans back in his easy chair,
With mild approval of the play ;
Little to dazzle, rich and rare,
Homely our actors, quaint or gay.
Yet men tvho turn a backward gaze
On Stuart times, in scorn or love,
Find few such records of past days
As these, whereof our weft is wove.
Historians mark the State intrigues,
The ruling spirits' faults and crimes,
The plots, the schemes, the foreign leagues,
The falls of many an Ape who climbs :
Something perchance of passionate hate,
Still more of sordid greed for gold,
The hireling Placeman's vapid prate,
The liberties for bribery sold.
Yet underneath the scurf and slime,
The surface of Success or Toss,
We trace the antics of each mime,
And give true Text, with scanty gloss :
The plebs, the vulgus, pea, the mob,
The ' common people,' coarse and rude ;
Seldom averse to cheat or rob,
Swaggering beneath their servitude :
Frankly they show their stains and flaws,
To us, who come /wo centuries late ;
Spawn were they ofSoVs ' Good Old Cause '
That over -turn 'd both Church and State.
Nought the unquiet nation gain'd
From Anarchy and Rebel-rule,
Save baneful schism or faith profaned ;
Turvey-topped rise of knave and fool.
Time teas, we fought amid the throng,
Or found amusement in sheer fun ;
Now, we content us with a Song,
Flay our own part, and envy none.
Folkestone, 20, is. 1889. J. W. EBSWORTH.
97
6roup of CuptD Ballad
Cupto'gs SDeltggt, ant» Canton Milt$*
{Unique Ballads of Price.)
" CUPID, thou art a sluggish boy, and dost neglect thy calling ;
Thy bow and arrows are a toy ; thy monarchy is falling.
Unless thou dost recall thy self, and take thy tools about thee,
Thou wilt be scorn'd by every elf, and all the world will flout thee.
" Rouse up thy spirit like a God, and play the archer finely ;
Let none escape thy shaft or rod, 'against thee have spoke unkindly :
So may'st thou chance to plague that heart
That cruelly hath made me smart."
— (1658.) A. H. Bullen's Speculum Amantis, p. 42.
TJPID has had little to do with the preceding
" Group of Trades and Sports," but shows
less connection with the "Matrimonial and
Anti-Matrimonial Ballads" to which we are
drawing near : Hymen being seldom on friendly-
terms with Eros, although originally under
some obligation to him. Amends are due to
the lad, who is allowed to claim his innings,
in a few pages between the sheets G and K.
(He was heard to chuckle, and to insinuate that
he has been accustomed to disport himself when
" between the sheets " ; but since nobody under the rank of an
Archdeacon or a Little Moore can understand what this implies,
such remarks of the Hon. Member were inaudible in the Girlery.)
Laurence Price has been often mentioned in previous volumes of
the series (see two lists of his ballads, one in Bagford Ballads, pp.
263-266, and additions to it, in Roxb. Ballads, vol. vi. p. 64 ; several
of his ballads are in the same volume on pp. 67, 73, 105, 429,
567, and p. 786). He gives three, if not four, of the five unique
Cupid ditties, viz. "Cupid's Wanton Wiles;" "The Dainty
Damsel's Dream; " and " The Maid's Revenge upon Cupid."
To the first of these is assigned as tune, She cannot keep her legs together
(compare Roxb. Bds. i. 295, " The Discontented Married Man," beginning,
" A young man lately married was ; " printed for Richard Harper in Smith-field,
1635-42, with the woodcut given ou our p. 49).
Laurence Price's second ballad, " The Dainty Damsel's Dream," seems to
have had its own tune, or one resembling it by name from first line. " The Maid's
Revenge against Cupid and Venus," p. 104, was sung to the tune of Love's Tide.
The ballad so named was mentioned in vol. vi. pp. 567, 570, and the original song
was given there on p. 774 ; entitled " Love in a Caliue," beginning" How cool
and temperate am I grown ! " Tunes assigned to it are, Wert thou much fairer
than thou art, or Lustg Bacchus. For Flora's Farewell, see vol. vi. p. 105.
VOL. VII.
H
98
[Roxburghe Collection, IV. 9. Probably unique.]
Ctipitr.s Delig&t;
©r, <ZCf)e <2T$rra gattnjj Eo&crs hxovVti m 3Lofac.
This Young-man met his Lover on a Do;/,
And desired her a ivhile with him to stay ;
The Maid was civil and did not deny
That she might hear the Young-man's kind reply.
The Young-man desir'd her for to be so kind,
That lie might understand part of her mind ;
The Maid with honesty, upon my life.
Did yield to be his laivful Married Wife.
The Tune is, If the Door is lock'd where I have knocked ; Or, The Valiant
Trooper. [Vide p. 99.]
THere was two Lovers that met together, all at a place where there was a Well ;
And there the Young-man to his Lover, spoke to the Maiden to try his skill ;
" Sweet-heart, if you will be pleas'd to go to drink a Pint of Wine, if I may be
so bold,
Pie not change my old love for a new, for a Girl that icears a Gown of Gold.
" 0 little Cupid, be thou but friendly, to help me forward with this my suit ;
That my Love to me she may speak kindly, now we're met together, and I am put to't :
For pretty Peggy, my love is to thee, if I may speak and be so bold ;
Vie not change \_my old love for a new'], etc. 16
" Thou art so neat in every part, and so beautiful unto my eye,
My pretty Peg, thou hast stol'n my heart, I can keep no other company :
Thou art so fair without compare, thou art not too young, nor yet too old,
Vie not change [my old love for a new], etc.
" If e'er a Phenix that there be, my pretty Peggy she is one ; [Cf p. 42.
If thou and I can hut agree, I'le be to thee a loving Man ;
Thou shalt not want for any thing that can be got, or for Money sold ;
I'le not change my old love for a new, for a Girl that wears a Gown of Gold. 32
" She is of such a civil Carriage, there is but few with her may compare,
I long that we were joyned in Marriage, my little Peggy thou art my dear ;
Thou shalt wear silks, my pritty Girl, or anything that's for money sold,
I'le not change [my old love for a new], etc.
" 0 pritty Peggy, before we part, resolve me quickly then off or on,
I am so Love-sick at my heart, and none can cure me but thee alone :
Thou art the Maid that must save my life, or I shall dye before I'm old,
I'le not change [my old love for a new], etc. 48
QTfje fHafocn'0 Erplrj.
" TNdeed, sweet Sir, I was much to blame, if I should wrong my Love, I say,
_L I never more should own my name, for my love to cast a man away :
I will not tarry, but with you Lie Marry, chear up, my dear love, with courage bold,
Vie be your true Love, look for no new Love, what care we for a Gown of Gold ?
" True love is better than Gold or Treasure, if you to me will but say and hold,
A good husband is a Woman's pleasure, there is no comfort like that I'm told.
I will love thee till the day of death, and make much of you when you are old,
I'le be your true love, look for no new love, what care we for a Gown of Gold? 56
Cupid's Delight. 99
Then the young-man was very pleasant, when he heard the Maiden's kind Reply,
True love is never out of season, with them that useth constancy :
Then he kist her sweetly, and compleatly, and made up the bargain, I was told,
He chang'd not his true love, for a neiv love, for a Girl that wears a Crown of Gold.
Now to conclude, and make an end, so lovingly they did agree,
He made her his Wife and his bosom friend, and a gallant couple they were to see :
She did not deny him, but for to try him, it's a custom that all Maids do hold,
He had his old love, he needs no new love, God send her not to prove a Scold. 64
JFl'tUS. [Perhaps by Laurence Price, see p. 105.]
Printed for J. Beacon, at the sign of the Angel in Guilt-spur- Street without
Newgate.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts: 1st, an early 'salutation of the B.Y. Mary
by Elizabeth,' reserved for ' Religious Group ; ' 2nd, the Cavalier of p. 140 ;
3rd, the Lady with pinners, as on p. 162 ; 4th, the circular Robin Hood cut of
vi. 229. Date, circa 1683. In original, line 57 reads, "he was very."]
*#* Tunes assigned to Cupid's Delight.
To our regret, the ballad that had originated by first line or burden the tune-
name of If the Boor is lock'd ivhere I have knock* d has not yet been found.
Therefore it is doubtful whether it be a different tune from The Valiant Trooper,
or merely another name for it. A unique exemplar of the ballad entitled " The
Valiant Trooper and Pretty Peggy," signed by T.R. (whom we guess to be
Thomas Robins, remodeller of various other ballads, nearly every one thus signed
being of doubtful authorship), is in Pepys Collection, IV. 40, and begins, "Heard
you not of a valiant Trooper?" Printed for W. Thackeray, T. Passenger, and
W. Whitwood, it has assigned to it the tune of Though I live not where I love,
wbich indicates the burden of Laurence Price's ballad of " The Constant Lover,"
reprinted in Bnxburghe Ballads, vol. i. p. 213, and marked to the tune of, Shall
the absence of my Mistress : properly. Must the absence of my Mistress, already
mentioned as a tune of " The Ragman," on p. 77. An earlier " Peerless Peggy ;
or, The Fortunate Youn? Man," was entered to Francis Grove in Registers of the
Stationers' Company, 5th April, 1633. T.R.'s version begins thus : —
Heard you not of a valiant Trooper that had his pockets well lin'd with gold ?
He was in love with a gallant Lady, as I to you shall here unfold.
With a kind salute and fierce dispute, he thought to make her his only one ;
But Unconstant Woman, true to no man, is gone and ttft her bird alone.
In Popular Music, p. 453, is a Somersetshire version of the tune, differing from
one in Bills to Purge Melancholy, v. 80, " The "[Inconstant Woman," a ditty
which is evidently a nautical version of " The Valiant Trooper," and beginning,
" Did you not hear of a gallant Sailor, whose pockets they were lin'd with gold ?
He fell in love with a pretty creature, as I to you the Truth unfold :
With a kind Salute, and without dispute, he thought to gain her for his own :
Unconstant Woman proves true to no man ; She has gone and left me all alone.'1''
It will be noticed that " Cupid's Delight " also is a " Pretty Peggy."
Tunes are shy game, and lead us many a long run like the fox of the Cleaveland
Hunt, recorded on our p. 95. But we generally manage to be in at the death, as
the hounds were (suggestively named) at Hinderwell. Thus on p. 32 it was
supposed tbaf My Child must have a Father remained without identification.
But the tune agrees with that of The Mother beguiled the Daughter, and draws
its later name from a line in final stanza of a ballad, given on p. 161, " The Kind-
hearted Creature," beginning, "All you that are disposed now." It was written
by Richard Crimsall, and registered, to Francis Conies and partners, 24 June, 1630.
100
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 172. Probably Unique.]
CupiD'S OUanton WLiltS;
©r,
Tbe Young Man's friendly Advice, beware lest Cupid you entice :
Although God Cupid he be blind, yet he doth oft o'recome the mind.
To the tune of, Shee cannot heepe her, etc. [See p. 97.")
BLind-fold Cupid with his Dart, did a long time strive to hit me,
Yet he shall not pierce my heart, I know better how to fit me ;
His decree shall not be any way to my disparriage :
I will strive how to thrive, and to heepe my self e from marriage.
Cupid" 8 slights and cunning triekes never in relaps shall bring me,
To be drowned in Love's pits, no aspiring boy shall fling me.
Hee's a foole in Love's Schoole, and raeerc simple in his carriage,
That will dally, and say, Shall I now incline to wanton marriage ?
Cupid is a subtill wile, and hath many projects used, 17
The ripest wits for to beguile, many are by him abused :
Let no man trust him then, lest he doe their states disparriage,
I advise you to be wise, and keep your selves from wanton marriage.
To spcake of Cupid to the matter, as I intend, if time gives leasure :
He will cog, deceive and flatter, if you in his wayes take pleasure ;
He will make you to take such strange courses in your carriage :
"Which will be your misery, if you incline to wanton marriage. 32
Cupid's Wanton Wiles. 101
Cupid is become a Gallant, and -will tempt a brave young Shaver,
On fond love to spend his talent, and besides, a false deceiver
He is [then] when foolish men doth intend to change their carriage,
For we see often he crosses young men in their marriage.
The stoutest Champion Cupid <\.a.nteth., & doth bring the boldest under:
The meanest man he then advanceth, and, to fill us more with wonder,
He can move Maids to love, though nere so modest in their carriage,
And will vexe [the] Female sexe to bestow themselves in marriage.
2Che 5f>£cono IP art, To the same Tune.
NOble Lords, Kings and Princes, Cupid bound in his subjection;
Beauteous Ladies he convinces, they must yeeld to his direction ;
He will still use his skill, though it breeds a great disparridge,
Therefore I, till I dye, meane to keepe my self e from marriage.
Guy of WarwicJce, brave and bold, travel'd far to gain his Philice :
Cupid kept his heart in hold ; Hector, though he met Achilles,
Cupid prest, with the rest, this stout Captain e in his carrydge ;
Thus he can force each man to bestow him selfe in marriage. 64
Some Cupid takes at unawares, in the bed where they lye sleeping ;
Some he catcheth in his snares, as they on downes their flocks are
[keep]ing: [*«*,« feeding.'
Every sort, Clowne and Court, stoops to Cupid in his carryage,
No delay can him stay, if he appoint the time of marriage.
High & low, poore & rich men, strong, the weake, the simple creature :
If Cupid's Arrowes doe but twitch them, & they bridle not his nature,
It will grow great in show, therefore I .wish men in carrydge,
To prevent this torment, and looke before they leape to marriage. 80
If thou art old, be more wiser, let no blind God so deceive thee :
Learne this embleme of a Siser, lest Cupid doe of joyes bereave thee :
If thou beest young, doe not wrong thine own state in such a carrydge :
Have a care, and beware, lest thou repent thy hasty marriage.
Now to finish and conclude, I exhort all that are single,
In your chusing be not rude, when you doe with Hymen mingle.
Liberty, as we see, is a life of lovely carrydge,
Therefore I, till I die, will absent my selfe from marriage. 96
Jfnt's. L[aurence] P[rice].
Printed at London for John Wright the Younger, dwelling in the
Old-Bayley.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, man, i. 466 ; 2nd, woman, i. 590 ;
3rd, on p. 172 ; another is added on p. 100, for p. 105. Date, circa 1641-1655.]
To the same tune of, Shee cannot keepe, etc., was sung "The Contented
Cuckold ; or, Patience upon Force," etc., by T.R. [Thomas Robins ?], in the Huth
Coll., I. 35, Jersey, II. 296, beginning, " You young men all to you I call."
102
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 226. Probably unique.]
Ci)e tiatntp ZDamstVs 2E>reatn,
CupiO'0 saigtons*
The Maid saw such strange Visions in her sleep,
When she awak'd it forc'd her for to weep ;
She dreaming lay, and thought her Love lay by,
But he, alas ! was not at that time nigh.
Then list and you shall heare the Damsel's Dream,
And afterwards what followed the same.
To the tune of, As she lay sleeping in her led. [See p. 10.3.]
AS I lay on my lovely bed, I fell into a dream, tsic- i- = lonely ?
God Cupid lie attended me, and straight upon the same,
The Chamber where I lodged in, me-thought, was all on fire,
Then Mars and Jupiter came in, with wrath and furious ire.
After came Venus with her train of Nimphs most fair and bright,
And prickt my heart in every vein, much like to kill me quite ;
I knew no reason why their rage and anger should be so,
" Why then," quoth Venus, " to thy selfe, thou art a mortall foe.
" There is a young man loves thee dear, and now is like to dye,
Because for him thou dost not care ; that is the reason why,
That thou art punished so sore, here in thy naked bed,
And if thou wilt not yeeld to love, we mean to kill thee dead." 24
" Fair Queen," quoth I, " grant me this boon I may so happy be,
For to present him to my view that I the man may see :
And if that I can fancy him, there is no more to do,
But I will yeeld to be his love, and kisse and hug him too."
With that the flames all quenched was, and all the coasts was cleare,
And then a proper hansom youth did in my sight appeare ;
Like young Adonis in his prime this gallant seem'd to be,
Of courage bold, and valour brave, and fortitude, was he. 40
Wi)t S'cconti ^art, To the same Tune.
His face like to an Angel's was, his eyes like starrs did shine,
In every part from top to toe, he seemed a Saint divine,
His sweet perfumed honied breath did bear so rare a smell,
The richest odors in the world for s[c]ent it did excell.
With courtely words and compliments he did mee kindly greet,
Crossing my lips ten thousand times with kisses soft and sweet ;
In his right hand a purse of gold he had, and did me give,
And told me I should never want such Coyn whitest I did live.
The Dainty Damsel's Dream.
103
It ravished my senses all, and set my heart on fire,
His countenance for to behold it made me to admire ! [ = wonder.
So that I much desired then to have his company,
His comely person to imbrace as I in bed did lie. 64
His hose and doublet he stript on0, and came into my bed,
Saying that he must master be, and have my maiden-head ;
Good lack ! how willing then was I his love to entertain :
The thought of action moved me in every limb and vein.
When all my vitals thus were rais'd, and ready for the sport,
Cupid and Venus stole away and so broke up the [Court], ['sport.'
Even so departed all the Kim phs, and straight upon the same
I wak'd and wept, because I saw all things was but a dream. 80
Fie upon dreams, and fond delights, which thus disturbs the mind !
'Tis better for to bee awak'd, and exercise by kind.
When as I dream'd, I had a love, and gold, and pleasure store ;
But when I wak'd, I saw none such, which makes me grieve the more.
Jftma. L[aurence] P[rice].
London, Printed for John Andrews, at the White-Lyon, in Pye-corner.
[Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, the ?<«mutilated oval portrait of John, Lord
Finch, with wings, from ' Time Alteration,'' 8 Janu., 164°, pamphlet, in allusion
to his flight, after Sec. "Windebank's, Dec, 1640. 2nd, the woman with fan, as in
vi. 685, left. 3rd, a new cut of a damsel sleeping on her bed, while Cupid
shows a vision of an armed warrior. Date of first issue, probably circu 1654.]
*#* The tune-name appears to be merely a variation of the first line : we
know none resembling it : except the Drollery, " She lay all naked in her bed."
Seeing that Laurence Price wrote this "Maiden's Dream," and sympathized
with her in the disappointment (as Madame Aphra Behn, and also John Wilmot,
Earl of Rochester, still later expatiated on the same theme, with more warmth
than delicacy), it is not improbable that he had designed as a sort of sequel,
although to a different tune, " The Maid's Revenge against Cupid and Venus."
Little change of mood was necessary, before the girl who believed that Venus had
punished her for resisting Love, could arm her tongue to proclaim revenge against
the Goddess who had cheated her, and taken this " unreal mockery hence ! "
[This woodcut belongs to pp. 81 and 191.]
104
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 222. Trobably Unique.]
Cl)e 09attfs i&etoencje upon Cupid
an& Venus.
Shewing bow Cupid with bis dart
Did wound and almost kill ber beart ;
But sbe, recovering of ber pain,
Reveng'd her self on him again :
And how Vulcan the Black- Smith he did prove
False to the Lass that did him love ;
And many other matters rare
Within this ditty spoken of are.
To the tune of, Love' 's Tyde, or, Flora Fareivel. [See p. 97.]
YOu Maids & Widows all a row, my mind I'de have you for to know,
How Cupid he hath conquered me, and crost me in my jolity ;
I was a Damsel fair and "bright, that was beloved of many a wight,
But afterwards it made me rue, to see that men prove so untrue.
When I was fifteen years of age, came Cupid in a fiery rage,
And with his poysoned wounding dart, shot through my skin, and
pierct my heart,
And having toucht me to the quick, I thereupon fell dangerous sick,
And ever since that time I rue to see that young men proves untrue.
Then Su[i]ters every day I had, to comfort me, and make me glad,
I entertain'd them willingly, in hope to have a remedy ;
First came a Taylor fine and brave, who proved at last a cunning knave,
He for to win my love did sue, whose flattering tongue did make me rue.
He dipt, he kist, he courted me, and said he would my husband be,
He gave to me a gay gold ring in hope to have a better thing ;
He would have had my Maiden-head, before that I to him was wed :
And had not I been very wise, the knave had plaid his Master prize.
A bonny Weaver he came next, to ease my mind that was perplext ;
With complements he did me greet, and honey sugered kisses sweet,
Perfumed gloves, and ribbons brave, as tokens of his love he gave :
And for to speak of him the truth, he was a very comely youth.
He wooed me, and I gave consent, to be his wife was my intent,
But cruel death did end his life, before that I was made his wife.
0 had he lived, I had been blest, but being dead I am distrest.
/ must go seek a lover new, which ivas the thing that made me rue.
fflqz Stxcmo :Part, To tee same Ttjne.
A Glover he came next of all, a proper man both streight and tall,
And said that I should be his bride, what fortune ever did betide ;
But like a false dissembler he forswore himself, and forsook me :
Which made my heart to melt and rue to see false men prove so untrue.
The Maid's Revenge upon Cupid and Venus. . 105
Vulcan, the Black-Smith, that hoon blade, counted the best of all
his trade ;
He told me many a flu ant tale, and feasted me with Cakes and Ale ;
Tokens of love he did me give, and 1 did verily beleeve
That he had been a lover true ; but like a knave he made me rue.
"When first he came into the place, he in his arms did me imbrace ;
With solemn oaths he did protest that of all Girls he loved me best :
But he, vilde wretch ! did me forsake, another Sweet-heart for to take,
Which makes me sigh, lament, and tveep, because some Black-smiths no
faith can keep.
And since that he from me was gone, sweet-hearts I have had many
a one;
But I will no more deceived be, by any such like knaves as he.
When young men's tongues do run most nimble, their hearts do most
of all dissemble :
And like the Proverb used of old, ' The hottest love is soonest cold.'
Therefore I'le set my heart at rest, a single life becomes me best,
No false dissembling cogging man shall do me wrong, do what he can.
I'le break all Cupid's darts in twain, & loose my self from Venus chain.
Tie make great Jupiter to thunder, and tear the C}-clops quite asunder.
Great Neptune shall forsake the Seas, and C\Ji\aron in his boat be
drown'd,
Before that I, at any time, will to a flattering knave be bound.
Shall I be bound, that maybe free? Shall reason rule my raging mind?
Shall I love him that loves not me ? No, though I wink, I am not blind.
Yet let no one my words mistake, though I against false love do speak ;
I do not say but some men are of qualities both rich and rare :
Some men are honest, sure, and j ust, faithful to all that doth them trust,
Constant in actions, and in love, as true as is the turtle-dove.
When such a man I chance to see, to him I fain would married be,
And to him prove a loving wife, so long as heaven affords me iife.
But to conclude, and end my song, in which I mean no creature wrong,
Young men and maids, I speak to you, change not an old love for a new.
Jim's. L[aurence] P[rice].
London, Printed for Fra[ncis~] Grove. And entered according to Order.
[In Black-letter. "With four woodcuts. 1st, the Gallant with cane, vi. 33 ;
2nd, the stout woman with fan, vi. 16, right; 3rd, the Cupid with glass-house
and many figures behind him, as on p. 100 ; 4th, the woman of Amanda Group,
p. 480*, but without the publisher Ri. Jones's initials R.I. Date, circa 1655.]
*** Note the coincidence of the last line here with the burden of " Cupid's
Delight." Although unsigned, "Cupid's Delight" also may have been written
by the prolific Laurence Price, who echoes in Shall I love him that loves not me ?
(Cf. p. 110,) the burden of C. H.'s "Fairing," For I cannot love if not loved again.
106
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 239; Douce, I. 108; Huth, I. 146.]
Who being jealous that tbe Man she lov'd
Constant unto another Woman prov'd,
She could not brook another should possess
Him whom she lov'd more then she could express :
She bids him give her Wealth and Honour, all ;
But his own self, him she her own must call.
M
lc
To a pleasant new Tune, call'd, The German Princess's Farewell, etc.
[See Note below, and p. 64.]
Ong days of absence, Dear, I could endure,
If thy divided heart were mine secure ;
But each minute I find myself without thee,
Methinks I [feel] my Rival's arms about thee. [' find-'
But she perhaps her interest can improve,
By all the studied arts of wealth and love ;
"Whilst I, alas ! poor. kind and harmless Creature,
Blung'd in true patience, trust me it shews good nature. 8
In her fair hand lay silver and rich gold,
But what I must not name let my hand hold ;
Give her rich robes, and jewels without measure,
Bo but allow me every night the pleasure.
I dye to think that hapless I should lose
Those sweet imbraces no one can refuse ;
Yet dare I not for shame my flames discover,
I dread the name of ' Boor Forsaken Lover.' 16
If she have wit and beauty, charms of love,
Some think I have the same, and those will move ;
If she can smile, and kiss, and cling about you,
All these I'll do before I'll go without you.
0 let not all my Bivals laugh and say,
1 am become a silly Cast-away ;
Though all are bound to pay you wealth and honour,
It all comes short of what you lay upon her. 24
I'll force my soul, and summon all my charms,
E'er any She shall lye within your arms ;
Except I found decay's in every feature,
Or that old age had spoil'd the works of Nature.
"The Kind Mistress" deserves immediate attention, since the tune is The
German Princess's Farewell (rf. p. 64). Another " Kind Mistress," printed for
C. Barnet, begins, " As I was walking along the street" (Pepys Coll., V. 212).
The Kind Mistress. 107
Oh ! oh ! my Dear, where art, where art thou now ?
Hear my sweet call, and hearken to my vow !
"What tho' you love her, yet you ought to leave her,
I vow my heart shall be thine own for ever. 32
I'll act such things, I'll laugh, and dance, and sing,
I'll hug and kiss, and love like any thing ;
Then change me not, till I can do no longer,
I'll use a means to make my spirits stronger.
But if she must have interest in your heart,
Dear Love, let it be but the weaker part ;
Or if she once enjoys a greater blessing,
You know my thoughts without the words expressing. 40
Should I be left by you, and quite forlorn,
All other objects my proud heart would scorn ;
But if you still persist and will not mind me,
I'll mourn to death and leave her here behind me.
When Death hath done its worst, and I am cold,
'Twill force a sigh when you such clay behold ;
Alas ! too late you'll with your Friends lament me,
But when I was alive you'd not content me. 48
Licens'd and Enter'd according to Order.
[Colophon cut off by binder. Douce and Huth's printed at London for C. Brown
and T. Norria. Black-letter, with two woodcuts as on p. 42. Date, 1673.]
*#* The ' Answer ' to this is not in the Roxburghe Collection, but is given here.
[Wood's Coll., E. 25, fol. 80 ; Douce, II. 162 verso ; C. 22. c. 2, fol. 156.]
€f)e JftoMe Gallant;
<Bx, Sin &nsrner to 3Long ©ans of Absence.
He all those jealous Doubts of hers removes,
And now unto this fair one constant proves.
He tells her he is hers, none shall possess
Him, but her self, such love he doth express ;
He gives her all content that can be spoken,
And chears her heart, which once was almost broken ;
"What e're she asks she has, Beauty rules all,
It can a Lover's heart make rise or fall.
To a pleasant new tune, called, The German Princesses Farewell [p. 64].
THink not, my Dear, thou shalt be absent long,
1\1 y heart to thine is ty'd most firm and strong.
None of thy Rivals ever shall out-do thee,
They are not fit to be compar'd unto thee.
What need I care for wealth, it is but dross ?
Want of a Beauty is a greater loss ;
Though constancy with men is out of fashion,
A Woman ought in love to show true passion. 8
108 Noble Gallant's Answer to 'Lone; Days of Absence.''
Perhaps with others I may sport and play,
But what thou long'st for I'le not give away ;
Thou shalt have all the pleasure I can give thee,
Then fear me not, for 1 will never leave thee.
Thou shalt not loose one smile ; what I can grant,
W y pretty wanton, thou shalt never want ;
Thy flames I own, and dying will imhrace thee,
The Willow Garland never shall disgrace thee. 16
If all the World should dare to laugh, and say
IVIy mind on beauty often goes astray ;
Yet she that willingly affords me pleasure,
Shall have at her command a Mint of treasure.
I know for wit and beauty ne'r a Lass
In all the world my dearest can surpass ;
One kiss, one smile, one hug, I then am dying,
Ask what thou wilt, there can be no denying. 24
Thou need'st not force thy soul, for thou hast charms
Are able to resist cold death's alarms :
There can be no decay in thee, I am sure,
Nature's rare works for ages must endure.
Thy vows I hear, thou art my heart's delight,
I find no joy but when I am in thy sight ;
And this thou shalt assure thy self, I love thee,
No woman in my heart shall rule above thee. 32
I know that thou art brisk, merry and young,
Thou can'st strike dead with thy all-charming tongue ;
If that to dance or sing thou dost desire,
All flesh is dumb, and silently admire.
I'le rest content with thee, and never more
Strange faces, nor proud looks, will I adore ;
Be true to me, and all things I'le do for thee,
But if unkind and false, then I'le abhor thee. 40
When I behold those pretty wanton eyes,
The thoughts of any other I despise :
Then be not jealous, for I'le always mind thee,
I'le catch thee in my arms where e're I find thee.
Talk not of Death, thou art not born to dye,
He'l court thee when he doth that face espy :
Come kiss me now, my dear, and don't repent thee,
For [married] every night I will content thee. 48
[Print]ed for J.E. and sold by F. Coles, T. Yere, I. Wright, and /. Clarice.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts. 1st, the lunette of Prince Henry in armour,
with staff, as in vi. 66 ; 2nd, an equally early portrait of a Princess, temp.
Jac. I., in a high ruff, probably meant for James I.'s daughter, the Princess
Elizabeth of Bohemia ; 3rd, Queen Elizabeth as in vol. i. p. 466 ; 4th, the youth,
vi. 50. Text reads 'naked.' Date, as shown by Tune, after 1672, before 1682.]
*#* Later we give the original three stanzas of next ballad (to which Charles
Taylor composed the music), beginning, " You I love, by all that's true" (see
]). 110) ; printed for Playford, in Playford's Choice Ayres, iv. 53, 1683 ; in 180
Loyal Songs, p. 321, 1685, and Fills, v. 336.
109
[Roxb. Coll., 11.288; PepysJII. 334; Euing, 168; Douce,I.117; Jersey, 1.77.]
%))t JLonDon 3Ut>'0 JLamentattoit
to Cupid ; or, Mbm ggall 3 mp CcuMlo&e gaue ?
All young-men must to Cupid's power submit,
Courage and Wisdom, Vertue too, and Wit :
None can bis mighty power and charms withstand,
He, like young Beauty, always will command :
And here young maidens easily may find
How apt young men are to be true and kind.
Such constancy in them could scarce be found,
Should men go search the Universe all round.
To an Excellent New Tune, sung at the Court. [SeeJVote, p. 108.]
This may be Printed, E,[ichard] P[ocock].
f^Loe's Face is Heav'n to me, like the morning-light we see ;
And the beauty of her eye, bright and lovely, like the sky :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart.
"Will young Love a Tyrant be ? make me doat on Cruelty :
"Why doth sullen Fate confine me to one that is not mine ?
Cloe, since my Heart n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart. 12
Had I lov'd as others do, onely for an hour or two,
Then there had a reason bin I should suffer for my sin :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart.
Love (thou know'st) with what a flame, I adore young doe's name :
Let me then thy pitty find, shoot a Dart and change her mind :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my tvounded heart. 24
All her beauties do entice, though the nymph be cold as ice,
R'>sie-lips and lilly-skin, all we gaze on, charm and win :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my zoounded heart.
On her gentle downy breast let a sighing lover rest,
Twin'd within those tender arms, fetter'd by those pleasing charms :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art. ease and cure my wounded heart. 36
LH my love with joys be crown'd ; you that with a glance can wound,
"With a melting kiss restore, your young Love that sigh'd before :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart.
Thus you'l show your power and skill, able both to save and kill,
But to kill has always bin held a most notorious sin :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart. 48
In sweet groveswe'l always dwell, with more joys than tongue can tell,
There the wanton then we'l play, steal each other's heart away :
Cloe, since my Heav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart.
110 The London Lad's Lamentation to Cupid.
You I love (by Jove) I do, more then all things here below, I-?'''--"'""/
„.. , • # 11 i r* r> • -i \hegins here
With a passion tiill as great, as ere Creature lancied yet :
Cloe, since my JLeav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart. 60
Bid the miser leave his ore, bid the wretched sigh no more :
Bid the old be young again, bid young maids ne'r think of men :
Cloe, since my JLeav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart.
Love's not a thing of chance, but Fate, that makes me love, that
makes you hate, \-Al- lect-> 'choice.'
Then if you be false or true, love I must, and none but you :
Cloe, since my Ueav'n thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart. 72
Printed for /. Bach, at the Black Boy, on London Bridge.
[In Black-letter. Four oval woodcuts, all in vol. vi., 1st and 4th on p. 280 ;
2nd, Cupid, p. 50, left ; 3rd, man, p. 124, left. Date, 1685. Gf. Loyal Songs, 321.]
*#* Except in name, there is little of companionship in " The London Lasse's
Lamentation," beginning, "Alas ! I am in a rage," and sung to the tune of
[Aye], ' / marry and thank you too.'' See p. 112. It follows on p. 116.
F,
a Jfatring for gounrj apen anU partis.
Princess. — " Sweet-hearts, we shall he rich ere we depart,
If Fairings come thus plentifully in." — Love's Lab. L., v. 2.
EW rural delights have suffered decay, or obliteration, almost
total, as have the Country Fairs, whither a brisk young wooer
could escort his Lass, giving her the round of seeing all the shows,
and purchase for her sundry trinkets, ribbons, ballads and picture-
books as a "Fayring," to yield pleasure along with remembrance
of the humble banqueting. If her presence were forbidden by the
cautious parents, he could nevertheless buy, and send for her some
" Fairing " to win kind thoughts for the giver. Such was our
present ballad, one of Thomas Bowne's (on whom see Note, p. 112).
*** " A Fairing for Maids," ballad, was entered in the Stationers' Registers,
D. 454, to Richard Harper, on 23 September, 1639 ( = Transcript, iv. 480).
This may possibly be the unique broadside of the same name, beginning, " All
you brave Damsels come lend your attention ; " by J. P., appointed to the tune of
He that has the most money [he is the best man]. Its burden is, ' For when yon
are bound, you needs must obey.' We doubt whether this exemplar was issued so
early, by fifteen years. A companion-ballad, entitled " A Fairing for Young
Men ; or, The Careless Lover," was written by C.H. (compare vol. vi. p. 309),
to the same tune, and with a burden of ' Fm- I cannot love, if not loved again '
It begins, "List, you brave Youngsters, that live in the City" Both of date
circa 1656, and printed for Francis Grove, on Snmo-hill. To him had been
previously entered (12 Nov., 16081, "A Fayring for Women old and young."
There are other ballads of A Fairing (not to mention " 'Twas on the morn of
new May-day . . with Jockey to the Fair," before 1775). Among them were
" The Maiden's Fairing," and " The Batchelor's Answer to the Maiden's Fairing."
There were also political examples, such as " A Bartholomew Fairing," 1649.
A
111
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 162; Pepys, III. 131 ; Jersey, I. 45; Huth, I. 98 ]
2L
5f airing for young $®tn antr fltDaiDs*
If you'l take my advice, this I would have you do,
Then every Young-man take his Lass, and drink one Pot or two.
To the Tune of, The Winchester Wedding. [See p. 112.]
This may be Printed, R[ichard] P[ocock].
By Tobias Bowne.
S Thomas and Mary did meet, it was on a Summer's day,
'With words they began to greet each other upon the way :
" Pray, what, are you bound for the Fair ? " this young man unto
her did say,
"And if that you be going there, I'le be glad of your company."
He said that he did love her, as a young man a maid should do,
And every stile they went over, he gave her a kiss or two.
But when they came to the Pair, they merrily spent the day ;
But meeting with William and Betty, thus Thomas to them did say,
" We'l drink before we part ; come, give us a bottle of wine,
Since thou art with thy sweet heart, and I am come here with mine."
The Maids were not unwilling, as far as I understand ;
But Will was for kissing and feeling a Maid upon every hand.
And when they were full of Canary, their stomachs began for to rise,
Then Thomas began to court Mary, with hand upon one of her thighs ;
Said he, "Art thou willing to wed? for I have some goods beforehand,
Besides, when my Father is dead, he promis'd me all his land ;
And this is a good beginning, besides I have more at home,
You may get a little by spinning, and I can both weave and comb."
[Mary answers him :
" My Mother will give me a little, if I get an honest young man,
She saith I shall have the kettle, and likewise the warming-pan :
My Granum will give me a cradle, which is both firm and strong,
Sister Margery will give me a ladle, these goods comes in ding dong :
And this is a good beginning, besides I have more at home,
I may get a little by spinning, and you can both Weave and Comb."
Then William struck up to Betty, and thus unto her did say,
" Since thou art a girl that's pritty, I'le give thee a Pairing this day.
Why sit you so melancholly, my pretty sweet Betty, my dove?
Though Thomas be all for Molly, it's thou art the Maid that I love.
And this unto thee I will promise, then ' hang sorrow, cast away care ! '
We'l be as far forth as Thomas, before we get out of the Fair.
112 A Fairing for Young Men and Maids.
" If that you will change your condition, and that you do fancy a man,
I pray, Betty, have no suspicion, that you I do seek to trappan.
My tongue and my heart is united, I scorn for to tell thee a lye ;
Sure I have no cause to he slighted, then prethee, love, do not deny.
Though we have a small beginning, as little as nothing, I know,
You may get a little by spinning, and I can both Reap and Mow.
" And thus we may live in content, as they that had a great deal more ! "
Then out of the door they went, and walked the Fair all o're,
To buy each other a Fairing, as young men and maids should do ;
And when they were home repairing, they walked away two and two.
It was Thomas and Mary together, with William and Betty so rare,
Pray what man can say any other, but that they had made a good Fair ?
What Maid can there be so hard-hearted an honest Young man to deny ?
That is the cause many are parted, without any reason why.
I would have you strive to prevent it, or else it may be to your loss,
I know that you are not contented, when you one the other do cross.
And now my new Song it is over, for I have no more to say,
But wish every Maid a true lover, that I have seen here to-day.
Printed for P. Broohby, at the Golden Ball in Bye- Corner.
[In Black-letter. Four -woodcuts, respectively in vol. vi. pp. 163, left ; 151 ;
our present vol. p. 175, left ; and woman, vi. 685, left. Date, 1685-88.]
*x* The tune named, The Winchester Wedding, is in Popular Music, p. 496 ;
see D'Urfey's song, p. 207, in this volume. Of Tobias Bowne's other ballads (see
List in vol. iv. pp. 342, 343) some have been printed in vols. iv. 344 (also 347,
376, both unsigned and doubtful), and vi. 157, 158 ; three others follow on our
pp. 151-156; and "The Young Man's Unfortunate Destiny," besides "The
Hasty Wedding " (p. 202) are given later. In fifth stanza, "Hang Sorrow, cast
away care ! " is a quotation from the ditty thus beginning (Roxburghe Ballads,
i. 509), Richard Crimsall's "Joy and Sorrow nrixt together," an amplification of
a Catch printed in J. Hilton's Catch that Catch Can, p. 39, 1652 ; in the Neio
Academy of Compliments, p. 117, 1671; in Windsor Droller//, p. 140, 1672;
Oxford Droller;/, iii. 136, 1671 ; and Musical Companion, 9, 1673.
We have earlier noticed (vi. 156) the fondness and frequency of Tobias Bowne's
employment of the name " Betty." Although nearly all of his ballads are about
country lovers and their wooing, ardent swains and coy maids, he preserves a
chaste propriety and shows much practical sense and homely philosophy.
Without any high reach of poetry, he gives us as true insight into the love
adventures in humble life as the half-century later Harry Carey, to whom we owe
gratitude for " Sally in our Alley," with her 'prentice lad who no doubt rose to be
an honoured citizen of our own dear little Yillage-on-Thames ; and, possibly, its
Lord Mayor. Sally then became " My Lady Mayoress ! "
Note. — Age, marry, and thank you too (the tune named on p. 110) had belonged
to " Tbe Lass of Lynn," reprinted in our Bagford Ballads, with its two ante-
cedents, pp. 462 to 468. The music is in Youth's Delight on the Flageolet, 1697,
and Popular Music of the Olden Time, p. 585. The original ballad (we fully
believe) was entered to John Wright, junior, in the Stationers' Begisters, 3 April,
1640, as " Yes, forsooth, and thank you too. " Our three, reprinted, begin
respectively, 1st. — " On Brandon-Heath, in sight of Methwold Steeple; " (this
is certainly not the original, being in a different rhythm from) 2nd.—" I am the
Young Lass of Lynn, who often said Thank you too; " 3rd. — (Bagford Coll., II.
141 ; Bepys Coll., III. 300) "Come listen, and hear me tell."
113
Ctoo flMentines anD tftetr Lotoets.
" [Poor Robin said, in a bygone year,] Valentine1 s Day is drawing near,
And both the men and maids incline to chuse them each a Valentine ;
And if a man gets one he loves, he gives her first a pair of gloves :
And, by the way, remember this, to seal the favour with a kiss."
— Poor Robin'' s Almanack.
]\ SONG on ' The Drawing of Valentines ' to the tune of Madam' 's
Jig, in the first part of Westminster Drollery, p. 35, 1671, was
reprinted by the present Editor in 187.5. Five stanzas, this is first :
" There was, and there was, and I [ = ay,] marry was there,
A Crew on S. Valentine's Eve did meet together,
And every Lad had his particular Lass there,
And drawing of Valentines caused their coming thither.
Then Mr. John drew Mrs J one first, Sir ;
And Mrs. Jone would fain 'a drawn John had she durst, Sir.
So Mr. William drew Mrs. Gillian the next, Sir ;
And Mrs. Gillian not drawing of William, was vext, Sir." Etc.
In fact, they wei'e all at cross-purposes. Although one of each
couple drew by lot correctly, their complete union was not achieved,
through the girl failing to draw her lover's name, after he had
drawn her's. " They then did jumble all in the hat together, and
each did promise them to draw 'em fair, Sir; " which is much more
than we believe they either intended or performed, without cheating,
seeing that every Lad ultimately got his own chosen Lass, and every
Lass her Laddie. But life is short, and pride is sinful, so that a few
peccadilloes sweeten the disposition, begetting humility. Good-
tempered sinners are pleasanter company than the self-righteous.
" Then every one i' th' Tavern cry'd amain, Sir; and staid till drawing
there had fill'd their brain, Sir." The end crowns the work.
There was also, instead of the risky Lottery-drawing of Valentines, the more
legitimate custom of craving acceptance for the year's service by being first at
the sweetheart's window. Ophelia sings one song, telling how a maid adventures
thus to her lover's casement, and the consequences: "To-morrow it is St.
Valentine's Day, all in the morning betime, and I a Maid at your window, to be
your Valentine,'" etc. Another charming lyric in Westminster- Drollery, Part
2nd, p. 41, 1672, is entitled "The Valentine," and begins, "As youthful day
put on his best attire to usher morne." Better than any other ditty, its seven
stanzas tell of the rites and customs, gifts and privileges, wishes, promises, and
interchange of confidence between two loving Valentines.
In Clio and Euleipe, printed in 1755 (but collected in 1762), i. p. 196, is the
sonsj of St. "Valentine's Day," set to music by Dr. T. A. Arne, beginning,
"When blushes dy'd the cheek of Morn," telling how " Philander from his
downy bed to fair Lisetta's chamber sped, Crying, ' Awake, sweet love of mine,
I'm come to be thy Valentine." Francis Douce has shown in his Illustrations
of Shakespeare, ii. p. 252, 1807, how in Rome during great part of February at the
Lupercalia (feasts in honour of Pan and Juno), "the names of young women were
put into a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.
The pastors of the early Christian Church . . substituted the names of particular
saints, instead of the women's," etc., but it soon fell out that the old system
of choosing mates reasserted itself, and was kept up on S. Valentine's Day.
VOL. VII. I
G(
114
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 191 ; Eawlinson, 566. 123.]
3 pleasant 0m £>ong of
Ctoo Valentines and tt)etr Jlotoers.
The Tune is, Bid you see Nan today ? [Same as Virginia : see p. 115.]
Ood morrow, Valentine ! God blesse you ever !
Kind in your promises, faithfull was ever.
Be thou still true to me, the kindest heart I'le be,
That ever you did see. Kisse, and Good morrow !
I like my choyse so well, Love doth compell me,
And force my tongue to tell, the truth is 1 love thee :
Kindly I do request that in your heart and brest
My love may ever rest. Kisse, \_and Good morrow /] 8
There was never kind Sweet-heart, that lusted for pleasure,
Could find such a Valentine, passing all treasure.
I have obtain'd the thing, which to my heart doth bring
Great joy, which makes me sing. Kisse, [and Good morrow /]
"When others sleep in bed, I lye still musing,
To think on my good hap, I had in chusing ;
To find such a Valentine, bearing a faithfull mind,
Courteous [in] love, and kind, Kisse, [and Good morroio /] 16
There is an old proverb, that ' Birds of a feather
Upon St. Valentine's Bay will meet all together : '
So, when true Lovers meet, with many a kisse full sweet,
That day, each other greet, with Kisse, and Good morrow !
All you that have Valentines, if they be faithful,
You have a great blessing, therefore be [gr]ateful, t' thankful.'
And kind to them again, for else — I tell you plain,
Much love is spent in vain. Kisse, and Good morrow ! 24
If my Valentine for [me] would be a Neat-heard, ['my sake.'
Well could I find in heart to be a Shepheard,
To keep sheep on a hill, so I might have my will,
To talk with her my fill, while my flock scatters.
Shall I live to deny my Valentine for ever ?
Refrain her company ? that will I never !
For if I her refrain, I must not come again :
Nor for all Avorldly gain : for Love lasts ever. 32
Adieu to my True-Love, whom I loved ever ;
When I am out of sight, let not your mind waver.
Though Valentine's Day be gone, and we act both as one,
My love to thee alone shall he for ever.
Two Valentines : and, No Drawing of Valentines. 115
Good night to my Yalentine ! Now I have ended.
To stay any longer, I cannot intend it.
I wish all young-men kind, that bear a faithful mind,
To give their Valentine A Kisse, and Good morrow ! 40
[London :] Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and 7V. Gilbertson.
[In Black-letter. Two woodcuts, both on p. 140. Date, circa 1673.]
*** For the words Did you see Nan to-day ? we turn to Thomas Deloney's
unique volume, The Garland of Delight, thirtieth edition, 1681. The ballad is
entitled " The Lover's Lamentation to his love Nanny." A broadside version
begins, " When I call to mind." One sequel (Flattering Lover's Farewell)
begins, " Of late it was my chance ; " another (The Comfortable Answer of Nanny)
is "I am thy Lover nameless." Tune marked ' Virginia.''
In 1875 we reprinted (in an Appendix to the Westminster Drollery, p. xx)
"William Cartwright's poem, from the posthumous edition, Works, 1651, p. 242 :
"Ra Sraintntj of Ualentmeg.
" /^AST not in Chloe's name among the common undistinguish'd throng,
\J I'll neither so advance the foolish raign of Chance,
Nor so depress the throne whereon Love sits alone :
If I must serve my passions, I'll not owe
Them to my fortune : ere I love, I'll know.
" Tell me what God lurks in the Lap, to make that councel we call Sap ?
"What power conveighs the name ? Who to it adds the flame ?
Can he raise mutual! fires, and answering desires ?
None can assure me that I shall approve
Her whom I draw, or draw her whom I love.
" No longer then this Feast abuse ; you choose and like, I like and choose ;
My flame is try'd and just, your's taken up on trust.
Hail thus, blest Valentine ! and may my Chloe shine
To me and none but me ; as I beleeve,
We ought to make the whole year but thy Eve."
—(By Willm. Cartwright.)
Cartwright died young, circa 1638, and although rare Ben Jonson paid the
loving tribute to him, " My son Cartwright writes all like a man," he has failed
to win his due meed of attention and praise from our modern race of fastidious
and dissatisfied Critics, to whom Poetry appeals in vain unless bedecked and
bedizened. The glowing warmth of Cartwright's " Song of Dalliance " (as it is
called in Sportive Wit, 1656, but it is entitled " Love's Courtship " in Parnassus
Biceps, of the same date), beginning, "Hark, my Flora! Love doth call us to
that strife that must befall us," has been hailed with praise by Arthur H. Bullen,
and reprinted in his charming volume Speculum Amantis, p. 10, 1889 ; an Editor
whose taste and insight, like W. J. Linton's, put the cold dreariness of sapient
• professors ' to the blush. In Herrick's Hesperides, 1640, is A Valentine,
Ea |)i0 fRi'stress.
" /CHOOSE ME your Valentine ! next, let us marry !
\J Love to the death will pine if we long tarry.
" Promise and keep your vowes, or vow ye never !
Love's doctrine disallowes Troth -breakers ever.
" You have broke promise twice, Deare, to undoe me ;
If you prove faithlesse thrice, none then will wooe ye."
116
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 290 ; Pepys, III. 239; Jersey, II. 73.]
Cfre JLon&on Lasses lamentation;
©r,
%}cx fear sTjc sJjoulti rtebcr be fHarrtrti.
To the Tune of, I, marry, and thank ye too. [See pp. 110, 112.]
Licensed according to Order.
A Las ! T am in a Rage, and bitterly weep and cry,
Because I'm nineteen years of aire, yet cannot be married, not I.
No Gallant regards my moan, for Love I am like to dye,
It grieves my beart to lye alone, yet cannot be married, not I !
Mine eyes do's like Fountains flow, as I on my pillow lye,
There's none knows what I undergo, yet cannot be married, not I.
There's Margery, Sue, and Kate, has Husbands with them to lye,
Yet none regards my wretched state, yet cannot be married, not I. 1 6
Young men, I must tell ye true, I scorn to report a Lye,
I am both young and handsome too, yet cannot be married, not I.
My Father is gray and old, and surely ere long will dye,
And though he'll leave me all his Gold, i" cannot be married, not I.
Oh ! this is my Grief and Care, the which I cannot pass by,
To think I am my Father's Heir, yet cannot be married, not I.
I am in Distraction hurl'd, and do for a Husband cry,
It's more to me than all the world, yet cannot [be married, not J]. 32
I am a poor Love-sick Girl, and ready with grief to dye,
I proffer'd Jewels, Gold and Pearl, [yet cannot be married, not i].
I[n] silks I am well array'd, and e'ery new Fashion buy,
Because I am loath to dye a Maid, yet cannot [be married, not 1].
As fine as the Queen of May, I flourish with gallantry,
I wear my Top-knot e'ery day, yet cannot [be married, not J].
I paint and I powder still, to tempt all that I come nigh,
But let me do what I will, yet cannot [be married, nut I]. 48
There's never a Lass in Town for Beauty can me come nigh,
But Fortune she has sent a frown, / cannot be married, not I.
The Gold which I have in store I value no more than Clay ;
I'd give all, had I ten times more, so I might be married to-day !
[In Black-letter. Colophon cut off ; but the Pepys exemplar was " Printed for
P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, and /. Bach:' Four woodcuts : 1st and 2nd
are on p. 118 ; 3rd is the Lady, half-length, of vol. iii. p. 357 left ; and the
4th is the small lady figure on p. 29. Date, circd 1687.]
V* Note.— The only links connecting this ballad with " The London Lad's
Lamentation to Cupid," on our p. 109, are the resemblance in title, and the fact
that John Back issued both ballads. Their tunes and rhvthm are totally different.
Much more affinity exists with " The Young Women and Maidens' Lamentation,"
which we bring into closer proximity ; both were sung to the self-same tune, and
issued by the same publishers collectively, but probably at a slightly later date.
117
[Roxburgke Collection, II. 566 ; Pepys, III. 81 ; Jersey, I. 330.]
C6e goung (Hiomen antJ a^aiDens' ILamentation;
©r,
(JTfjctr bitter st'tyTjs anb sorrora to fjear tlje <©lb flJHomen are prest to
go fofth, tfyz &rmg, SdIjiIc tfjcg tfjemselbes are slujijtetj anb bejectcb,
bafjirfj are able to perform far better Scrbfce.
Tune of, I, marry, and thank ye too. [See pp. 110, 112, 116.]
Licensed according to Order.
w
E Lasses of Jowrfow-Town in sorrowfull sort appear,
Because the Fates on us do's frown ; old Women are Prest we hear ;
To wait on the warlike Train, and march in the Van and Rear :
But Maids they will not entertain, old Women are Prest ice hear.
We would with our Maiden skill like Amazon Dames appear ;
But we are unregarded still, old Women are Prest we hear.
'Tis Reason they should allow, young Lasses to have a share,
But Kissing goes by Favour now, old Women are Prest we hear. 16
We, like the sweet tender Dove, coidd every Souldier chear ;
Yet still they slight a Maiden's Love, old Women are Prest ive hear.
With Age they do grunt and groan, nay, tremble and quake for fear ;
Yet tell them this, it is all one, old Women are Prest we hear.
I am sure a young Lass can Nurse a Souldier, they need not fear ;
But see the Case is alter'd thus, old Women are Prest we hear.
We'd cuddle them in our Arms, and this will their Spirits chear ;
Yet notwithstanding all our Charms, old Women are Prest we hear. 32
Our Sweethearts are march'd away, the which we adore so dear,
And we behind are fore'd to stay, old Women are Prest we hear.
We'd Kiss and embrace them too, and Love should like Fountains flow,
But old Wives they can nothing do, then why should not Virgins yo ?
Our Glory and Fame shall ring, and baffle the proudest Foe,
In getting Souldiers for the King, then ivhy should not Damsels go ?
Young Heroes that will adorn the Army in time we know,
As being Souldiers bred and born, and why should not Damsels go ? 48
To venture who wou'd refuse ? there's Glory and Fame you know,
And Teeming-time we are loath to lose, and why should not Damsels go ?
The Captains, for Females good, may pity and kindness show ;
Alas ! we are all Flesh and Bloud, and have a great mind to go.
For why shou'd we stay behind, in sorrowful grief and woe ?
I hope at length they'll be so kind to suffer young Maids to yo. 60
Printed for P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, J. Back.
[In Black-letter. With four woodcuts. 1st and 4th {reverse of p. 78), are on
p. 120 ; 2nd, the Prince Rupert figure of our p. 11, mutilated, without the
dog ; 3rd, a cut that had not hitherto appeared, of a girl listening to the larks
singing, given later on p. 196. Date, probably, circa 1690 : William's wars.]
118
Lotted HDtoertbroto.
" Cupid, thou art a wanton Boy, [Of- V- 91.
And heretofore mad'st Love a Toy,
But in thy raigne a Tyrant art,
To wound a Shepherdesse's heart ;
To make her sigh, swoune, weepe, and pale,
Thus sick, yet modest will not vaile ;
But cryes out ' Hymen, 'tis your cure,
For the blind Boy I'le ne're endure.' "
— Dr. John Wilson's Chearful At/res, 1659.
XIlLTHOTJGH lost for a hundred years from the Roxhurghe
Collection, we restore " Love's Overthrow " (formerly Roxb. Coll.,
II. 576) to its due place among Roxhurghe Ballads, on our p. 119.
%* Note.— Eoxb. Coll., II. p. 567, is a duplicate of Roxb. Coll., II. 556, viz.
"Young Jemmy" (reprinted in Roxb. Bds., iv. 50a) ; and p. 568 is a blank.
There need be no doubt that here ended the Pearson Collection, shown by the
Printed Index of First Lines attached to Vol. II., as one had been similarly to the
first volume (entirely reprinted in Roxb. Bds., vols, i., ii. and first half of vol.
iii.) ; thereafter follows a Manuscript Index of additional [Roxhurghe] Ballads.
Near the close of the printed list, eleven (Pearson) ballads were mentioned, which
are now missing, but all of these we have traced in duplicate elsewhere, except
one beginning "Now mortals all prepare to hear," and the remaining five
are to be given in this volume. They are " The Plowman's Reply ; " "A
True Touch of the Times ; " " The Manner of the King's Trial ; " "The King's
Last Speech ; " " A Douzen of Points ; " and " The Angel Gabriel." Other four
of the lost are already reprinted : vie. " Hubert's Ghost," in Bagford Ballads,
p. 160; "A Warning Piece to England, being the Fall of Queen Eleanor"
(Roxhurghe Ballads, ii. 69); "The Wandering Jew" {Ibid., vi. 693); and
"Love's Overthrow," now given.
[These cuts belong to " The London Lassc's Lamentation,-' p. 116.]
119
[Lost from Roxb. Coll., II. 576 ; C. 22, e. 2, 60 ; Huth, II. 3 ; Jersey, II. 61.]
Lotoe's SDtiertbroto ;
OR,
A full and true account of a Young Maid that lived in Exeter-Exchange-Court,
in the Strand, [she] being deeply in love with a young Serving-man, whose
care was so great that he would not marry till he was in a good Condition to
maintain a Wife ; which resolution of his bred jealousie in her ; whereupon
in reality of his Love, be presented her with a Ring, but she afterwards
dispairing of his Constancy, disdainfully returned him the Ring again, and
within a short time after poysoned her self ; And now she lies buried near
the May-pole in the Strand, with a Stake drove through her body, being
there Buried the Thirteenth day of May last.
To the Tune of, Bateman. [See vol. iii. p. 194 ; and vi. 650.]
A LI you that know what 'tis to love, come mourn a while with me,
For unto you I will declare a mournful Tragedy :
A fair and comely Damsel did live lately in the Strand,
"Whose fancy taught her to obey Love's power and strict command.
So that she deeply fell in love with a young Serving-man,
"Who loyal unto her did prove, yet here her woe began :
Each other's love they did imbrace, and joyntly did as:ree,
That in a very little space they both should Marry'd be.
The Young man he was full of care, and fearful to ingage
Himself in Wedlock, which did put this Maid into a rage :
She loved him exceeding well, and so he loved too,
But 'cause he made a small demur, she knew not what to do.
120 Lore's Overthrow (a retrieved Roxburghe Balhal).
He did intend all should do well, ere he would Marry 'd be,
And never take a Wife to bring her into misery :
So for this cause he did delay, and Marriage did prolong.
Till she from reason went astray, now mind my mournful Song. 16
She did mistake his good intent, poor silly harmless Maid,
And ci v"d. she knew not what he meant, of him she was afraid :
Quoth she, " If he should prove unkind, what would become of me ?
He fickle is, I now do find, and deals deceitfully.
" If Fortune will not be my friend, and teach him to be kind.
My life will quickly have an end, my death draws near I find."
Thus discontented did she live, and could not quiet be,
For nothing could her pains remove, hatch'd up by Jealousie. 24
Her fears did every day increase, least he should faithless be,
Her panting heart could find no ease, a mournful Soul was she ;
At last she fell into dispair, and Satan prompt' her on,
To draw her Soul into a snare, and thus her woe begun.
In hourly Torments still was she, and could not he content,
But for to set her troubles free, this way to work she went :
To Holbourne she one day did go, and passion was her guide ;
Which did procure her overthrow, and made her go aside. 32
Then with a Cup of Poyson strong she ends her mournful Life,
'Cause she before her time did long to be a married Wife :
After this Poyson she had took, a week she lay in pain,
Thinking her Love had her forsook, which made her to complain.
And now she Buried is likewise, near the May-pole in the Strand,
A stake is through her body drove, as we do understand :
Then Maidens all be sure take heed, in Love you n'er dispair,
Since Jealousie caus'd this cruel deed, true Lovers all beware ! 40
Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden Ball, in West- Smith field.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts. 1st, the pious widow of vol. vi. p. 192 ; 2nd,
the young man, iii. 359 ; 3rd, the striding man, vi. 163 left ; 4th, the Bride's
Burial, on p. 119. Date, circd 1673. Compare " The Lamented Lovers. " These
two cuts belong to "The Young Women and Maiden's lamentation,'" -p. 117.]
0
121
C6e §)ligf)tcti a^aiti*
" Where Charles's ladies once would flit." '—Andrew Lang (3IS.).
TJR " Cupid Group " ends with a " Slighted Maid " (mentioned
in vol. vi. p. 276), who cannot find the union she longs for.
The present broadside-ballad was evidently founded on Sir William Davenant's
song, which re-appears in our second stanza, " My lodging is on the cold ground,"
sung by Mistress Mary Davis as Celania, circa 1667, in his tragi-coraedy of " The
Rivals/' act v. (an adaptation of "The Two Noble Kinsmen," attributed to
Shakespeare and Fletcher). The song became instantaneously popular, sometimes
called " Phillis, her Lamentation" {Merry Droller//, Complete, 1670); and in
modern times, "The Fair Bedlamite" (Hive, i 88, 1724), and "The Mad
Shepherdess" (Evans's Old Ballads, iv. 195). Downes mentions " Moll Davis."
"She performed that [i.e. Celania's part] so charmingly that not long after
[early in January, 166i, says Pepys], it raised her from her bed on the cold
ground to a Bed Royal" (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 32, edition 1781). The music
and words are given in Popular Music, pp. 527, 528 ; the words alone in Merry
Drollery, part 2nd, p. 290 ; Academy of Complements, p. 187, 1670 ; New Acad,
of Comp., 159, 1671 ; Windsor Drollery, 69, 1672. Of pretty fair-haired Mary
Davis, whom Charles took off the stage to be his Mistress (we need not recall
Nell Gwynne's trick, played on her rival at the time), a portrait is given, after
Sir Peter Lely, in Fitzgerald Molloy's amusing Royalty Restored, vol. ii. 1885.
Her dancing had been as good as her singing (see Flecknoe's Epigrams, 1669), and
surpassed that of Nelly, though as an actress she had less vivacity, and seems
after wards to have given way to melancholy. Pepys mentions her so early as
March 7, 166f, thus: — "To the Duke's playhouse [in Dorset- Gardens] ....
little Miss Davis did dance a jig after the end of the play, and there telling
[what was to be] the next's day's play ; so that it came in by force only to please
the company to see her dance in boy's clothes ; and the truth is, there is no com-
parison between Nell's dancing the other day at the King's house in boy's clothes
[as Florimel in ' The Maiden Queen,' by Dryden, afterwards called ' The Secret
Love'], and this; this is infinitely beyond the other." — Diary, iv. 263, Mynors
Bright's edition, 1877. Mary Davis visited the theatre, 21st December, 1668,
in a box opposite to the king and Lady Castlemaine, exchanging glances with
him, " but when she saw Moll Davis, she blushed like fire, which troubled me."
— Ibid., v. 426. Nearly a year earlier he had recorded, on January 11th, 166|,
that Mistress Knipp " came and sat by us, and her talk pleased me a little, she
telling me how Miss Davis is for certain going away from the Duke's House, the
king being in love with her ; and a house is taken for her, and furnishing, and
she hath a ring given her already worth 600?." — Ibid., v. 155. Three days later
a Mrs. Pierce told him that "Miss Davis is the most impertinent slut in the
world, and the more now the king do show her countenance, and is reckoned his
Mistress, even to the scorn of the whole world."— Ibid., v. 158. (We remember
how disdainfully an ill-dressed prude surveys the unblushing Lightskirts, in our
woodcut on p. 128.) Mary, after having "quite gone from the Duke of York's
house," tried to brazen it out, coming to Court shortly before May 31, 1668,
"to dance her jigg ; but the Queen would not stay to see it, which people do
thiuk was out of displeasure at her being the King's mistress, that she could not
bear it. My Lady Castlemaine is, it seems, now mightily out of request, the
king coming little to see her, and thus she mighty melancholy and discontented."
—Ibid., v. 295. So, as Owen Meredith sang, in 'The Portrait,' "One nail
drives out another at least," and the succession of les Maitresses du Roi was
rapid. Not that Charles was ungrateful, since he never turned any favourite
adrift, merely claiming " power to add to the number."
122
[Roxburghe Coll., II. 423 ; Euing, 335, 336 ; Eawlinson, 136 ; Jersey, II. 214.]
Ct)e £>itgf)tefi 2®ait) ;
£Dc, ^ge pining Lobcr*
Witt sighs and moans she doth intreat her Dear,
"Whilst he seems to be deaf and will not hear :
At length his frozen Heart begins to melt,
Being moved with the passion she had felt.
To the Tune of, I prithee Love turn [to'] me, etc. [See p. 121.]
Licens'd and Enter' d according to Order.
^F'nJ
— Gjfxj&M
'iljm zll'yVM
ffiUJ
iw
m
fGjkmlfrL
feffififo
~
^^~
" TTTAs ever Maiden so scorned, by one that she loved so dear ;
V\ Long time have I sighed and mourned, and still my love will
not hear :
0 turn to me, my own dear Heart, and I prithee, Lore, turn to me :
For thou art the Lad 1 long for, and, alas ! what remedy ? [-Vo'e> p- 124.
" My lodging is on the cold ground, and very hard is my fare,
P>ut that which troubles me most, is, the unkindness of my dear:
0 turn to rue, my won dear LLi-art, and I prithee, Love, tarn to me ;
For thou art the Lad I long for, and, alas J what remedy ?
" 0 stop not thy ear to the wailings of me a poor harmless Maid ;
You know we arc subject to failings, blind Cupid hath me betraid :
And now, I must cry, 0 turn, Love, and I prithee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the JIan that alone art the cause of my misery.
The Slighted Maid : * My Lodging is on the cold Ground.' 123
"How can'st thou be so hard hearted, and cruel to me alone ?
If ever we should be parted, then all my delight is gone ;
But ever I cry, 0 turn, Love, and I prithee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone art the cause of my misery.
" I'll make thee pritty sweet posies, and constant I ever will prove,
I'll strow thy chamber with roses, and all to delight my Love :
Then turn to me, my own dear Heart, and L prethee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone can procure my liberty.
"I'll do my endeavour to please thee, by making the bed full soft,
Of all thy sorrows I'll ease thee, by kissing thy lips full oft:
Then turn to me, my own dear Heart, and I prethee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone can procure my liberty.
' ' But thou wilt harden thy heart still, and be deaf to my pittiful moan,
So 1 must endure the smart still, and tumble in straw all alone :
"Whilst still I cry, 0 turn, Love, and L prethee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone art the cause of my misery.
" If that thou still do disdain me, I never will love thee more,
Thy cruelty shall never pain me, for I'll have another in store :
But still I cry, 0 turn, Love, and L prethee, Love, hern to me,
For thou art the Man that alone art the cause of my misery, ."
By hearing her pittiful clamour, the passion of love he felt ;
He could no longer disdain her, his frozen heart it did melt :
For ever she cryed, " 0 turn Love, and I prethee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone can procure my liberty."
He said, "My Love, I will please thee, thy heaviness grieves me sore ;
But let not sorrow once seize thee, I never will grieve thee more :
Fll turn to thee, my own kind Heart, dear Love, Til turn to thee;
For L am the Man that now am come to procure thy liberty.
" I'll crown thee with a garland of straw then, and marry thee with
a rush-ring, l*e2rote,p.m.
My frozen heart it will thaw then, and merrily we will sing."
But ever she cry'd, " 0 turn, Love, and L prethee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone can release me from misery."
Most lovingly he embrae'd her, and call'd her his Heart's Delight ;
And close by his side he plac'd her, all sorrow was vanquisht quite :
And now she for joy cry'd, "Turn Love, fy I prethee, Love, turn to me,
For thou art the Man that alone hast rehast me of misery.'"
[Original by Sir William Davenant, stanzas 2, 11, 7, only.]
London, Printed by and for W. 0[nley~], for A\lex.~] M[ilboume~]
and sold by C. Bates, at the Sun and Bible in Pye- comer.
[Black-letter. Two woodcuts, on p. 122. Date of issue, circa 1667. Eawlinson's
exemplar was printed for F. Coles, etc., and earlier than ours.]
124 James Howard's " My lodging upon the cold floor is"
Note to p. 122. — The phrase "Alas! what remedy ?" was almost proverbial.
Cf. the refrain, on p. 70, and the pathetic ballad attributed to Anne Boleyne and
to her hapless brother George Viscount Rochford, " Death rocke mee to sleepe."
On p. 89 of Eoxb. Ballads, vol. v., the original and the lengthened versions of
" My lodging is on the cold ground" were mentioned, and a promise registered
to give the parody, from the Honble. James Howard's ' All Mistaken, or The Mad
Couple ' {circa 107 1). Nell Gwynne as Mirida sang to her " fat love," Pinguister :
MY lodging upon the cold floor is, and wonderful hard is my fare,
But that which troubles me more is, the fatness of my dear.
Yet still I do cry, ' 0 melt, Love, and I prythee now melt apace !
For thou art the man I should long for — if 'twere not for thy grease.
To which Pinguister sang, responsively : —
Then prithee don't burden thy heart still, and be deaf to my pitiful moan ;
Since I do endure the smai't still, and for my fat do groan.
Then prythee now turn, my dear Love, and I prythee now turn to me ;
For alas ! I am too fat [1 fear, Love], to roll so far to thee.
There is another parody on Davenant's song, called " The Woman's Delight."
Also, similarly, Nelly sang a parody on ' Balow, my babe ' :
" Lie still, my babe, lie still and sleep, \_Cf. vol. vi. p. 576.
It grieves me sore to see thee weep :
Were't thou but leaner, I were glad,
Thy fatness makes thy dear love sad.
What a lump of love have I in my arms." — Act v. sc. 1.
Once more we have had occasion to mention several of the Royal
Mistresses (of whom the late Mrs. Anna Jameson wrote her pleasant
popular account, The Beauties of the Court of Charles the Second,
a welcome supplement to Les Memoires de Gramont, by Compte
Antoine Hamilton), we take the opportunity of inscribing this present
portion of our work to a still later writer, our esteemed personal
friend, one whose own privately-printed Memoires of the Beauties
are the choicest and most accurate record, delightful as trustworthy :
TO
GEORGE STEIMAN-STEI]NTMAN/, F.S.A.,
OF SUNDEIDGF, KENT,
€f)is ®roup of Cupit) T5ailans,
IN TOKEN OF SINCEEE FRIENDSHIP,
IS, BY THE EDITOR,
DEDICATED.
D E D I C A C E.
A Mons, Alexandre -Bel j a/vie,
Docteur es Lettres, Prnfesseur an Lycee Louis-le- Grand,
Et a, L'Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques,
THE DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR OF
Le puttie et le.0 I&ommes ne lettres en angleterre
au DMputtieme Steele ;
AN ACCOMPLISHED STUDENT OF OUR NATIVE LITERATURE,
WHOM ENGLISHMEN ARE PROUD TO COUNT AS THEIR FRIEND;
ESTEEMED FOR BRILLIANCY IN SCHOLARSHIP AND IN SOCIAL INTERCOURSE ;
A WELCOME REPRESENTATIVE OF 'LA BELLE FRANCE,'
(OUR BEST ALLY, OF MODERN TIMES ; OF OLD, OUR NOBLEST ANTAGONIST,)
A WARM-HEARTED AND LOYAL GENTLEMAN :
(|his ensuing
dSrottp of ^patrimonial Baiia&s,
IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF FORMER MEETINGS, AND
WITH HOPE OF FUTURE RE-UNIONS, IS HERE
DEDICATED.
126
SlnDrometia J&eftitoitoa,
TOt'tfj a Back ajjcatj.
(Apres la facon du Siecle Vingtieme.)
Fable dfidide & Mons. Alex. Beljame.
Argumentum ad Faminam. — Andromeda, having been earlier ensnared by
the 'evil-entreated and innocent' Kraken or Sea-Dragon, bewaileth him
lugubriously to slow music, affetiwso. She apostrophiseth the 'naughty
naughty naughty Perseus, who went and poked a hole in the hide of the
dear delightful creature ' aforesaid.
HE tvaves had been playing their usual game,
Having wreck' d a few barques without mercy or shame,
Then slid themselves circlingly over the beach,
With a soothing grace, far as eye could reach ;
And the rugged cliff, in the westering sun,
Seem'd to quite forget all the mischief done,
It smiled at the mariner sailing away,
Tempting him shoreward for holiday.
The tiny bright cloudlets floated above,
More gaily-tinted than Venus's dove,
Having little to do save to shimmer, and fleck
The tranquil Sea that knew nothing of wreck.
At such a time, when the world lay at rest,
One troublesome mortal felt sorely oppress' d.
What passion disturb' d that Damsel fair,
Who clung to a rock, with her golden hair
Enhancing the charm of her dazzling neck,
While tears fell and sighs rose without a check ?
Did she mourn a lost lover, whom leagues divide
From the fond embrace of his promised Bride ? —
Could she possibly long for some Argosie,
To bring pearls or ducats across the sea ;
Or silks and brocades to enwrap her limbs,
When tired of her bath where she splashes and swims ?
My Erie fid, if so silly we were, and blind,
As to wish to pierce what a girl calls ' her mind,'
We should have a tough lesson before us set,
Ere the final solution we chanced to get.
I am not quite so young as I once loved to be,
But I knew that fair Siren who haunts the sea.
Andromeda : at the latest market-price. 127
Andromeda first was her name, renown 'd
Far away from yon rock where so many lie drown' d.
I myself can remember the time when she too
Was in danger and fear, while the harsh wind bhw,
And the billows to overwhelm her strain d,
Where she stood in her anguish, shackled and chained,
Till, amid the turmoil and mad uproar,
Nature exhausted could bear no more.
Well, perhaps, had no Perseus foreseeing arrived,
She might not in safety that storm have survived,
Since the ravening teeth and the venomous tail
Of the fierce Sea- Monster drew nigh to assail.
Yet I heard her lament {this is Woman's way,)
For the dear darling Libertine, prone to slay,
Who had held such delightful charm in his breath,
That she did not care much if 'it poison 'd to death ;
"And Oh ! what a naughty sad tiresome man
Was that Perseus, who loved me ! " her descant ran :
" For he might, had he pleased, have left me to moan,
Ever chain'd, as I chose, to this Precious Stone.
One would surely sooner be crunch'd and dead,
Than be freed by a man — with Medusa's head ! "
* * #
*£* The Moral {impressive, for those who wish) :
Mermaidens are hybrids, half-women, half fish,
Though some daifity people may choose the upper,
Others relish the Salmon-end — soused, for supper :
Our experience rebukes that of many a Lover,
Who declareth he ' found the Sex fishy all over ! '
* * *
gdT The /to-Moral runs, "Leave them severely alone,
If they fix their hearts' love on Stock- fish or Load-stone!"
Ls all Chivalry dead ? since the Moderns say,
" Let them go to the Bow-wows, each in her ozvn way ! "
Nay, not so ! for our part, without favour or warrant,
Our devoir shall be done, as a true Knight- Errant.
J. WOODFALL EBSWORTH.
The Priory, Molash,
\%th October, 1889.
The /'our Conditions of Woman full-grown,
Maid, Wife, or Widow (Another* swell known),
In this ancient woodcut are plainly shown :
Let tin- ' Shrieking Sisterhood' claim their own.
fflatiantr, rt crs Drmotscllrs.
TJ/HO says My Lady is too proud?
She walks apart to shun the crowd,
Seven,- in dignity and grace,
With healthful beauty in her face :
So self-assured in heart and mind,
What leisure has s/u- to be kind .'
Kate flings abroad her wanton lure,
I [yraen never proffers cure ;
With jewels dazzling on her breast,
Trick d out for show, a Jade confest :
her smile to all the Town,
Though Prue the gaunt precisian frown.
anwhile, a Country Wife doth sit,
I nvying Kate her saucy wit,
Her paint and patches, rings and m
Tha; " Sure Virtue's not eno*
'• lam chaste, and meek, r. ved:
But neither dainty-deck 'd nor love ,
If I could win My Lady's
race my prayer, she need not fear ;
■ might she of slights complain,
Or n fawning Satyrs feign :
A Husband true and faithful Wife
Grow dearer through their blended life. — J .W .E.
129
<$roup of I5allati0
S^atvimonial $ ZntUS^auimonUU
" TENNY is poor, and I am poor,
*■* Yet we will wed, so say 110 more ;
And should the Bairns you mention come,
(It's few that marry but what have some,)
No doubt but Heav'n will staud our friend,
And bread, as well as children, send.
" So fares the Hen in farmer's yard,
To live alone she finds it hard ;
I've known her weary every claw
In search of corn among the straw ;
But when in quest of nicer food
She clucks amongst her chirping brood,
With joy I've seen that self-same hen,
That scratch'd for one, could scratch for ten.
" These are the thoughts that make me willing
To take my Girl without a shilling ;
And for the self-same cause, d'ye see,
Jenny's resolv'd to marry me." — Vocal Library, p. 447.
UR FRIEND DERVAUX ought to publish
that book of his, a life-long labour, if labour
it can be called, which has been simply a
sportive task : a sort of ' Pilgrim's Scrip,' of
the George Meredith sort. We have seen it,
repeatedly. It is in manuscript, entitled,
' The Sex : by One who Knows Them.'
It is anonymous, or pseudonymous, of course;
since tarring-and-feathering might otherwise
ensue. Nothing except Cremation, and that
prematurely accelerated, could protect his
remains (bodily, not literary) from the vengeance of the Redundant
Sex, were they to detect him. They have never quite forgiven the
very-much-married King Solomon, for having described the typical
'Strange Woman' with her enticements, whose "good man is not
at home ; he is gone a long journey." (Similarly objectionable is
the "odious woman when she is married: " this expression being
Agur's, not Solomon's own.) True, he admits that " whoso findeth
a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaiueth favour of the Lord."
But when were a man's best deeds or his words of praise accounted
as either atonement or equivalent for having uttered hard sayings ?
Sad might it be for Dervaux, were his magnum opus to appear : he
would encounter more than a bad quarter of an hour. It is dreadful
in its revelations, harrowing in its details ; especially the chapter
devoted to belles-meres, our awful Mothers-in-Law. Nevertheless
we found him a most devoted admirer of "the
English Mees."
VOL. VII.
130 " The \\m]proper study of mankind is [Wo]wa»."
Happy was he, when philandering by the side of some sweet virgin,
who judiciously made the most of her fresh untainted girlhood,
with her light ringing laugh, her point-blank questions, and her
saucy replies, while she flitted among the orchids at Chelsea, or
Highbury, Birmingham's paradise ; or watched the over-grown boys
cricketing at Lord's ground, or the competing crews of Oxford and
Cambridge on the river, where she wore a ribbon-rosette of the
favourite Light-Blue displayed on her bosom (and the other colour,
hidden at first, but ready to be unveiled by a slight adjustment of
drapery, in case Fortune the fickle should transfer her favour to
the antagonistic Dark-Blue of Isis). Dervaux is well instructed in
all the pretty nothings, which a man ought to speak or to hear ;
yet never be rude enough to hint that he possesses earnestness of
purpose, noble ambition, or scorn of duplicity and petty gossip :
although loathing the scandalous insinuations, which pass muster
in society as being knowledge of the world. He has travelled,
studied, jested, and flirted to some purpose. He is as thoroughly
at home in the Royal Academy on a ' Private Yiew,' or a Matinee
at the Opera Comique, as he is when lounging in the smoking-room
of the Incroyables ; or deeply immersed in Black-letter rarities and
Sanskrit manuscripts, within a quiet alcove at the Bodleian.
Children he loves, and knows how to amuse them, sharing their
romps, telling them fairy-tales, fabricating toys and riddles. To
grey-bearded comrades he may sometimes utter the cynical remark,
"What a pity it is that these little darling boys must become
conceited prigs of professors, or noisy radicals, and enter parliament
to prate and do mischief ! Sad, that these lovely girls should ever
grow up to be worldly-minded wives, and still later degenerate into
frowsy matrons ! " Nobody hears it, shuddering at its truthful
prophecy, except the present Editor; and the Lodge is closely tyled.
Dervaux has many engagements, yet wears such a mask of being
disengaged, that one might wonder how he finds time for those
p itient studies which he best loves, and without which his society
could never have been prized by Huxley, Tyndall, and Frederick
Harrison, no less than it was by Sir jSToel Paton and Sir Ciichton
Browne. His counsel is sought as an unselfish ' guide, philosopher
and friend,' alike by old and young; as of one who has been every-
where, has done everything, seen all that was worth seeing, and
known whomsoever he wished, without effort or after-regret. He
has lived at every pore, so to speak ; and while laughing tolerantly
at other men's follies and hobbies, he seldom allows himself to be
injuriously carried away by his own. Simply to have lived and
prospered, in his own way, yet to have remained helpful and hopeful
for the unsuccessful ; to have loved, and felt the anguish of
bereavement, or to have enjoyed his bonnes fortunes without either
boasting or cynicism, is worth something for us, and also for himself.
People in modern Glass-houses who throw stones. 131
He is no slanderer of reputations, but a valiant defender of all
merit that is assailed ; a champion of the oppressed, yet withal
frank and generous in fight, so that even foes are vanquished better
by his good temper than by arguments or reproaches. Women
never quite understand him, as we men can do, but he knows every
secret fibre of them, and is ready at all times to yield them
affectionate devotion and unfailing courtesy. In short, he does
everything except trust them.
It would have been well if we could have prevailed on him to
take charge of this " Group of Matrimonial and Anti- Matrimonial
Ballads," and reveal the secrets of the prison-house for the warning
of Bachelors. They give up their many advantages of liberty for
the sake of gaining possession of the solitary one article whom they
foolishly consider to be indispensable ; one who, in nine cases out
of ten, is not worth the sacrifice. At least, if she seem to be so
at first, she is not likely to remain uncontaminated by the inane
worldliness and unbridled selfishness of her neighbours, hostesses,
or their guests, with whom she will be compelled to associate, in
such married life as our century has descended to. If Dervaux
would be so kind as to offer his comment, even these Roxburghe
Ballads (like the Bag ford Ballad devoted to a 'Philosophical Wife '
reprinted in 1873) would be enriched with treasures of wisdom.
He is the last man to be ill-natured or unjust. He is well aware
that of women's faults many are due to bad instruction, and to
their having been linked with unsuitable or degrading partners.
He admits that " Marriage brings out all the latent evil that had
been unsuspected in girlhood.'' " Look at the records of the
Divorce Courts," says he, " then reconcile, if you can, the ignoble
career of the flaunting and detected wanton, with the possibilities
of the gentle girl who a short time before had stood blushing fair
at the altar, crowned with her maiden wreath, and surrounded by
a troop of loving bridesmaids, each wishing hopefully her future
happiness. If so many light barques are wrecked on the sea of
matrimony, is it not chiefly the fault of him who ought to have
been the steersman, or the captain, responsible for keeping others to
their sailing-orders, and able to claim unhesitating obedience, so
long as his own love continued pure and firm ? "
Well, perhaps Dervaux is right. Some folks say that he is always
right, and has been. He thinks our age has fallen into evil ways ;
that in the relations of the sexes towards one another we have gone
more utterly wrong than they ever did, beyond a few exceptional
cases, while Charles the Second was King. The ' Merry Monarch '
himself never claimed to be an immaculate example of purity ; and
there were ladies at Court unworthy of being considered ornaments
of their sex, beyond the physical charms of beauty and elegance.
But any platform chatterer can now make capital of their faults.
132 No call for the boast of Social Progress.
None but an unblushingly bold theorizer would dare to assert that
the general tone of morals, and the national recognition of the
sanctity and continuity of the marriage-tie, were not infinitely
higher during the reign of the last Stuarts than they have been
since, during the early Hanoverian reigns ; or, at the very lowest,
than they are at present.
Therefore, Dervaux declares, we may learn much by noticing
that all these Anti-Matrimonial Ballads of old-time belong to the
lower ranks of middle-class life. As might be expected of penny
broadsides, intended solely for the populace, they are not records
of the gentry, and still less of the nobility, in the Stuart times.
The sentimental love-ditties were frequently celebrative of titled
damsels, of knights, barons, substantial 'squires and wealthy
merchantmen, if not of princes and kings. But the matrimonial
ditties belong to tradesmen, tapsters, husbandmen, or common
sailors. As for any method of escape, from irksome bondage when
evils had grown burdensome, it was scarcely ever seen to be possible.
A wife might be shrewish, harsh, and incessant in complaint ; but
the husband had to remain patient under her scolding. Sometimes
she broke her wedded vows, and degraded herself in unseemly
fashion, turning her dishonoured spouse to ridicule, since no pity
was shown to him by friends in his scorned estate. ' The Cuckold's
Complaint' found no favour, and deserved none. Our moderns
boast their superiority, but at once seek a solatium in publicity,
and heavy damages from the co-respondent ; then pocket their
wrongs with additional profit (despite collusion and connivance) ;
and end with prevailing on sordid mothers to sell their own
daughters into the ignominious slavery of marriage with a divorced
man, who thus becomes an adulterer. Women shuffle themselves
free from irksome bonds, and assume fresh ties with a change of
partner; again to break them, so often as the humour varies, or the
depraved appetite. Such disgraceful doings, increasingly common
under our relaxed laws and corrupted morals, were almost unknown
in Charles the Second's day, among the higher middle-class citizens.
If a bad bargain had been made, there was no shirking any of the
responsibility. If the ale had turned sour for either partner, the
last cup of it must; be drank, for such liquor was not legally
intended to be wasted.
It is an excellent rule, when a bad wife turns up in the post-
Stuartian Law-reports (and there are few daily records without a
choice assortment of them), to make enquiry : ' Was not half the
Woman's fault owing to her having had a bad Husband ?' Yes : and
when we hear of ' another good man gone wrong,' it has none the
less been caused by some heartless jilt, or termagant scold, who
drove him into debt and despair. Cherchez la femme ! She is
certain to be in it.
" The World's great Bridals, chaste and calm?
133
We have (p. 185) a specimen of the unreasonable Grumhletonian,
who drives a ""Woman to the Plough," and himself takes her duties at
the Hen-roost, but fails. There are not so many ' Scolding Wives'
or Shrews in our collection that the theme becomes wearisome by-
iteration. In the " New Way of Marriage " (on our p. 158) we see
the insidious teaching of such unhallowed and temporary irregular-
connections as point their own moral, sadly enough, although the
loose ballad directs itself to those who were incapable of valuing
the true delights of lawful wedlock : the perfect union of congenial
albeit dissimilar minds : the mutual dependence, the undeviating
faith of a virtuous and loving woman in her husband, while he
delights to labour for her, and to protect her from disquietude.
" Yet in the'long years liker must they grow ;
The man be more of woman, she of man ;
He gain in sweetness and in moral height,
Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world ;
She mental breadth, nor fail in child ward care,
Nor lose the cbildlike in the larger mind ;
Till at the last she set berself to man,
Like perfect music unto perfect words : . . . .
Self-reverent each and reverencing each,
Distinct in individualities,
But like each other ev'n as those who love.
Then comes tbe statelier Eden back to men :
Then reign the world's great bridals, chaste and calm :
Tben springs tbe crowning race of human-kind."
— (Tennyson's Princess.)
[These cuts belong to p. 23, and 'A Week's Loving,' etc., see p. 137.]
134
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 385 ; Pepys, IV. 2i ; Jersey, I. 2.]
%\>t Dyfortislnre SDamosel ;
QXy %§t ILonOott a&rcjjant'g <€gotce*
Her Beauty Bright was his Delight,
But yet she said him nay,
She would not yield to him the Field,
Till Marriage made the way.
To the Tu>*e of, The Jobh for a Journey -man- Shoomaker .
fl^Here was as Fine a London Blade as ever trod on Leather,
_L Most sumptuously he was array'd, his Wigg, his Hat, and Feather :
His Rapier hanging by his side, well mounted on a Gelding,
To Oxford City be would Ride, to view the antient Building.
But he was no sooner come there, in all his Pomp and Glory,
"When meeting with a Damsel fair, a sweet and pleasant Story
To her he freely did unfold, her Love to gain the sooner,
He shew'd her handfuls of bis Gold, to bring her into humour. 16
He then began to Complement, and sweetly to embrace her,
The Damsel would not give consent, that he should e're disgrace her ;
Her modest mind was not inclin'd, nor in the least was leaning
Unto his will, but answer'd still, she did not know his meaning.
" My Love," said he, " let me enjoy with thee a moment's pleasure ;
My sweetest creature, be not coy, thou shalt not want for treasure :
All night within my folded arms, my love shall lye and slumber,
"With many sweet delightful charms, and kisses out of number." 32
Said she, "Your proffer I disdain, good Sir, I pray be civil,
Indeed you now are much to blame, to tempt a maid to evil,
Forbear to talk at such a rate. Discretion has endu'd me ;
It is not your enchanted bait, that ever shall delude me.
" Kind Sir, I pray now let me go, I strange[ly] do admire,
That you should seek my overthrow, to please your fond desire ;
If there in me be any truth, I am resolv'd to tarry,
I'le never pleasure any youth, but those with whom I marry." 48
The Damsel thus declar'd her mind, then without molestation,
His heart was more and more inclin'd, he stood in Admiration ;
The lustre of her Beauty fair his heart had so inflamed,
That he was caugbt in Cupid's snare, before her love he gained.
Note. — "The Oxfordshire Damosel " was mentioned in Bagford Ballads, p. 449,
before we had tracked the Job for a Journeyman Shoemaker, on which see p. 135.
Oxfordshire Damosel ; or, London Merchant's Choice. 135
" My dearest Love, I thee adore, if thou can'st freely love me,
I set by thee such mighty store, I fancy none above thee :
"With thee I mean to live and dye, thou sweet and lovely creature,
Thou art a jewel in mine eye, no Lady more Compleater." 64
She could no longer say him No, and now to end the quarrel,
In Love they both together go, to buy her Rich Apparrel :
She looked like a sumptuous Dame, in all her rich attire,
Her beauty flew on wings of Fame, his Friends did all admire.
She was indeed an honest Girl, and of a modest carriage,
He priz'd her more than Gold or Pearl, and joyn'd with her in
Marriage :
Now may she lead as sweet a life, as she is fair and Pritty,
For now she is a Merchant's Wife, Of London's Famous City. 80
jFtms.
This may be Printed. R[oger] L[e] S[trange].
Printed for J. Beacon, at the Angel in Guilt-spur- Street without
Newgate.
[Black-letter. Four woodcuts. 1st and 2nd on p. 42 ; 3rd, a Lady, on p. 143 ;
4th, two figures, ou iii. 419, Eight. Date, 1683-5.]
*** The Tune -name has been already mentioned iu our Bag ford Ballads,
p. 449 (a correct guess, as to the Pepys Collection, IV. 180, and 181), in
connection with the "The Praise of Laucashire Men," beginning, "You Muses
all assist my pen," p. 450. Again in Bagford Appendix, p. 976, is an account
of several " Jobs " ; but the original ballad, first Part, bears the name, "A Jobb
for a Journeyman Shoemaker, with a kind-hearted Seaman's Wife." Printed
for J. Deacon, beginning, " A Seaman's Wife, a buxom Dame " (Pepys Coll., IV.
180). To the Tune of Tom the Taylor, near the Strand (see p. 189). The
Sequel, sung to the same tune, is entitled, "The Seaman's Safe Return; or,
An Answer to the Jobb for a Journeyman Shoemaker." It begins, "At length
the Seaman he came home" (Ibid., IV. 181).
A further Sequel is preserved in the Douce Coll., II. 170, viz. "The Old
Maid Mad for a Husband ; or, The Journeyman Shoemaker's Favours turned to
Misfortune." Tune, Touch of the Times. Licensed by Richard Pocock, 1685-88.
Printed for J. Blare on London Bridge, and beginning, "All you that are willing
right merry to be, I pray you come hither and listen to me." The burdens are
A Husband is better than Money to me ; and, Because like a Rascal he did kiss
and tell.
To this tune of A Job for a Journeyman Shoe-maker was sung the ballad of
"The Victorious Wife," beginning, "Good people stay, and hark awhile"
(Pepys, IV. 134). It was often cited as an alternative with Billy and Molly (see
p. 137, next ballad), as in "Roger the Miller's present," etc., beginning, "A
Damsel came to London town," (one of Tom the Taylor series), and " The Last
Lamentation of the Languishing Squire" (Roxb. Ballads, vi. 228), beginning,
"As I went forth to view the Spring." It was the same tune as The Mother
beguiled the Daughter, My Child must have a Father (see pp. 32, 99, 161) ; also,
probably, it corresponded with The Touch of the Times, and The Country Farmer.
136
[Eoxbuighe Collection, II. 512 ; Pepys, III. 39; Eiiing, 382; Douce, II. 246
verso; Jersey, I. 336.]
21 WSXttWs JLoinng, OflJooing and
cOroomg : or, ^nppu 10 rijat CCIoomg rtjat 10 not long
n Doomg.
Here was a nimble Bridegroom, and a Bride,
In Eight short days the long-fast knot was ty'd.
To Tin: Tr>'K or Billy and Molly. [See p. 137, and vol. vi. p. 218.]
Licensed according to Order.
ON" Sunday Johnny went to Church, so spruce, and neat, and finer;
Cupid lay for John at Church, and shew'd him pretty Jinny;
Johnny was shot to the heart, and prov'd a zealous Lover :
That Jenny she might cure his smart, he was resolved to more her.
Johnny was a stitching Blade, and he could not work a Monday;
Jinny lov'd the stitching Trade, but minded John a Sunday :
He to her did make address, but she receiv'd it shyly;
The loving truth he did confess, but Jinny she was wily. 16
Tuesday came, and Johnny then, profest to her profoundly,
He lov'd her more than any man, and spoke his Passion roundly ;
Jinny she did love to spin, as pretty maids do often,
She lancy'd John could put it in, and that did Jinny soften.
< hi Wednesday then the Lovers met, and Johnny prest her home to't;
He said his love was on her set, but she said nought but mum to't :
Jinny was a coming Lass, her silence was consenting,
When John had brought it to that pass, he then fell to presenting.
A Week's Loving, Wooing, and Wedding. 137
On Thursday then he brought her store, (what Maid could have
forsook 'em ?)
Of ribbons, gloves, with sundry more, and she said ' No,' and took 'em !
Johnny was a Lover free, tho' bound in Jinny's Tetters,
Jinny lov'd as well as he, tho' she might 'a had his Betters.
On Friday Johnny ask'd her what she had to say against it;
She said there was two words to that, for fear she shou'd repent it;
But John he did her so perswade, that she gave no denial,
But said he should be her own Blade, and put it to the Trial. 48
On Saturday there ne'er was seen such Billing, and such Cooing,
Jinny and her John between ; such Kissing and such Wooing.
Thus both agreed in Love to speed, concluded on the morrow,
That they would AVed, and so to bed, and sport away all sorrow.
On Sunday they to Church did goe, where Love first had beginning,
The Parson he made one of two, so the Business had an ending;
John and Jinny marry'd were, 0 ! merry night of Sunday !
Pretty Maids do not Despair, 'twill be your own case one day. 64
Printed for P. Brooksby at the Golden Ball in Pye-corner, J.
Deacon at the Angel in Gilt-spur-street, J. Blare at the Looking
Glass on London-bridge near the Church, J. Back at the Black
Boy on London-bridge near the Draw-Bridge.
[In Black-letter. Three -woodcuts, 1st and 2nd, are on p. 133, as for 'The
Country Weaver' of p. 22 ; the 3rd is on p. 136. Date, circa 1684-94.]
*#* To the same tune of Billy and Molly ( = Willy and Molly, beginning,
"Says Billy to Molly," Pepys Coll., III. 34) went four other ballads: 1st.—
' John and Betty' (concerning the virtue of Cherry-Stones) = " Now the weather
grows warm;" 2nd. — 'The Distressed Virgin,' beginning "Was ever poor
Maid in such distress? " (Pepys Coll., III. 52, and IV. 58) ; 3rd.—' The Happy
Young Man' = "By a brook beneath a shade;" 4th. — 'The Witty Chamber-
maid' = " There was a Lass in London Town." (Ibid., III. 78, and IV. 143.)
Our own week's work, of loving, wooing and wedding, recalls a Nursery rhyme.
I Married my Wife on a Sunday ; She call'd me a fool on Monday ;
I bought a stick on Tuesday, to beat my Wife on Wednesday ;
My Wife fell sick on Thursday ; my Wife she died on Friday;
Glad was I, on Saturday night, to bury my Wife on Sunday !
Whether this satisfactory "week's work" was in strict sequence to "A Week's
Loving," etc., is a question which we unfortunately neglected to ask of the
oldest inhabitant, from whose traditional report we accurately transcribe this
Golden Legend. There being no mention of any ' Crowner's Quest,' following
hard on a post-mortem, Dr. Dryasdust opines that the event must be dated
before the epoch of Martin Lessamour and Pedlar's Acre at Lambeth ; not to
say also antecedent to the reproduction of Hamlet in 1602. We fear that
a.d. 925 (when Coroners were mentioned) may appear too early a date for the
artless lay, with a stick; or even 1275, when, according to Stow, those officers
were by Statute of Westminster appointed for every County, 3 Edward I. In all
such municipal details we may safely swear ' by Gomme ! '
138
[Roxburghe Collection, IV. 4. Apparently unique.]
21 S^attl) at a Venture ;
£>r, Cnne ant) £)pporrumtp toon tJ)c Dap.
Being, a Discourse of OSootncj bctfoicn Etna ILodcvs.
The Young-man Courted her with Compliments most rare,
And all his mind to her he boldly did declare ;
She still held off, and was so stiff inclin'd,
And would not quickly let him know her mind :
Until that Cupid with his Golden Dart \_C'f. iii 532.
Had made a wound, and piere'd her tender heart :
And then she yielded his True Love to be,
They now are Married, and live most gallantly.
Ttne of, Jenny, come tye my bonny Cravat. [See Note, p. 140.]
AS I in the fields was walking along,
I heard a young couple was talking anon,
"I do love thee most dearly, fair Maiden," said he,
" And thou shall be my true love until I do dye ;
For Cupid has wounded my poor love-sick heart,
I must break my mind now before we depart.
A Match at a Venture. 139
" I will buy thee Scarfs, and I will buy thee Gloves,
That is fitting for suitors to give to their loves,
And jewels and bracelets that shall be most rare,
If thou wilt but be my true love and my dear ;
I am thy true lover, thou'll be my own dear,
1'le ne'r be false to thee, thou needest not fear." 12
Maid.
"Kind young-man. I thank you for your good will,
Yet poor silly Maidens had need try their skill ;
You promise more in an hour then you do in seven year,
It's hard for to trust any Man I do swear ;
They be so false-hearted, and given to lye,
They've caused many a Maiden to weep and to cry.
" It's not your cunning baits, nor your nimble tongue,
Such words as those has done many Maids wrong ;
Therefore, honest young-man, you are not for me,
A good Service is better than a Wife for to be :
I take great delight for to live a Maid's life,
There's far greater trouble belongs to a Wife." 24
Young -man.
" Sweet-heart, now thou mak'st me to smile in conceit,
Now hear me a word more, I do thee intreat ;
If thou wilt but love me as I do love thee,
And joyn now in wedlock my wife for to be :
There's never a woman in England, I swear,
Shall ha' more content then thou shalt have, my dear.
" Tho' some be false-hearted, and often do swear,
0 do not blame all men for one, my own dear :
He is worse than a Jew, that has a good wife,
And loves her not as dear as he loves his own life :
And let her want nothing that she doth require,
But be loving and faithful unto her desire." 36
Maid.
" Indeed, honest Man, I tell you now true,
There's many men more, I say, besides you,
That has said and sworn as much as you say,
And have proved knaves to their wives the first day :
That never takes care for one thing or other,
Their wife and their children may starve altogether.
" It behoves all Maidens that live single lives,
How they marry with men for to be their wives ;
Some will misuse them both sober and drunk,
And use them no better than the whore their Punk.
We see enough every day of those which are wed,
How barely they go, and how hardly they'r fed." 48
140
A Match at a Venture.
Max.
" Indeed, pretty Maiden, thy words are most true,
But do not believe it shall be so with you :
My state and ray purse shall be at thy command,
Say what shall be done, and thy word it shall stand :
And grant but thy favour my wife for to be,
Nothing shall be wanting that can pleasure thee."
Maid.
" Why then, honest young-Mnn, you shall be my dear,
I'le venture in marriage without any fear ;
You shall be my Husband, I will be your wife.
And live loving together all days of our life."
The Young-man rejoyced the same for to hear,
When she had yielded to be both his Miss and his dear.
Now in the conclusion, they appointed a day,
And next to the Church, and were marry'd strait way,
With consent of their friends ; and to end my ditty,
They live loving together in London's fair City ;
And loving and gallantly they do agree,
And a pattern to other true lovers may be. G6
jfr'nfs.
Printed for J. Deacon, at the Rain-boiv in Ilulbom, near St.
Andrew's Church.
[In Black -letter. Four woodcuts : 1st and 2nd are on p. 138 ; 3rd and 4tli are
below, and they belong also to pp. 114, 187. Date, etieu 1680.]
*#* The tune cited on p. 138 belongs to a Pepysian ballad (the burden is,
1 Jenny come tye my bonny Cravat '), beginning, " As Johnny met Jenny a going
to play ; " with its Roxburghe sequel, "As Jenny sate under a Sycamore tree."
Neither of them yet reprinted.
Ill
[Roxburg-he Collection, IV. 62. Apparently unique.]
%ty more ^aste, tt)e toorse S>peeD ;
@t,
&\)i Unfortunate fHafti's (Complaint, in prfuate as she "bit) gtt,
Beuuj jjiftecn Hears of age, anil neucr a Suitor get.
To the Tune of, 0 no, no, no, not yet ; or, What shall I do, shall
I dye for love ? [See Note on p. 142, and ballad in vol. vi. p. 246.]
WAs ever Country Maid perplext, having both wealth and feature,
Or anything Nature directs, to make a prudent Creature,
As I, even I, which makes me oft so solitary sit ;
For Fifteen years of age I am, and never a Suitor yet.
The Fifty Pounds to portion I, upon my Marriage day,
Pull truly paid, I tell no lye, then mark what I shall say ;
My Mother she oft hath told she would a Husband get ;
For Fifteen years [of age I am, and never a Suitor yet.] 16
There was a Maiden in our town was Married at Fourteen ;
Then would not that make me to mean that am not all so green :
Besides my comely person, I am of a pregnant wit ;
For Fifteen years [of age I am, and never a Suitor yef\.
Besides the thoughts of waxing old, should stir Young-men to Wed;
Besides, less fear of taking cold when two are in a bed ;
With many other things wherewith I could a Husband fit;
For Fifteen \_years of age am I, and never a Suitor yet]. 32
To brew and bake it's usually perform'd by Country Maids,
And therefore them I will pass by, to speak of other trades,
Who through imployment may have need more of a Woman's wit :
For Fifteen [years of age am I, and never a Suitor yet].
If I should be a Yintner's wife, I should become the Bar,
As well as doth a drum or fife, within a field of war :
To cry, ' Boy, shew these gentlemen, a room where they may sit ; '
Yet Fifteen years of age am I, and never a Suitor yet. 43
And if a Cook should marry me, I well can raise his paste,
Of any fashion that may be upon a Table plac'd :
Or any other Dish, 1 can both garnish and make fit ;
Yet Fifteen years of age am I, and never a Suitor yet.
NAy, if a Shoomaker me wed, his Shop-Thread I can spin ;
Although it by myself is said, there's few our Town within,
Por all the points of Huswifry, that can each Trade so fit,
And Fifteen years of age am I, and never a Suitor yet. 64
142 The more Haste, the worse Speed.
The Taylor's Needle I can thred, if haste should so require,
Of several colours, green or red, pleasing to his desire :
Make answer to a man, while he doth at the Ale-house sit ;
Yet Fifteen [years of age am I, and never a Suitor yet].
If that a Glover raarrys me, part of his Trade I know,
Whether it plain or prick-seam be, that makes the braver show;
And truly for to work the same, I know [what] Leather's fit;
Yet Fifteen [years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet]. 80
And if I should a Weaver have, either of silk or linnen,
This can I do and money save, which is a good beginning ;
Either wind silk, or fill his quills, 'tis either I can fit ;
Yet Fifteen [years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet].
If I should be a Saylor's wife, I can with plummet sound,
To know how many fathom length the Ship bears from the ground :
[Thus] I do know his Compass well, with many things so fit;
Yet Fifteen [years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet]. 96
But yet for all my forward care, great grief it is to tell,
Not any man falls to my share, that far or near doth dwell :
There's not a Maid my Mother keeps but straight a Husband gets;
Yet Fifteen [years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet].
I am perswaded now that I shall hardly live this year,
But even a silly Maiden dye, which causeth many a tear
To gush forth of these chrystal eyes, and much disturb my wit ;
That Fifteen [years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet]. 112
I hope there's none will take distaste, because I speak my mind,
For all that in the same is plac'd, whoever trys shall find
Both Portion and these properties, of which 1 here have writ :
Yet Fifteen [years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet].
If any Tradesman I have nam'd within himself can find,
By that description I have fram'd, that I can please his mind:
Go marry all about my years, so may ye on me hit ;
For Fifteen years of aye am I, and never a Suitor yet. 128
Jfmte.
Printed by P. Brooksby, at the Golden-ball, near the Hospital-gate,
in West- Smithf eld.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts. 1st, the oval draped portrait of Maria of
Alodeua, vol. vi. 155, left; 2nd, the James II., vi. 153, right; 3rd, and 4th,
are on p. 143. Date of Brooksbifs present issue 1672-1694. The original was
entered to Thomas Lambert, in the Stationers' Registers, 12 March, 163*.]
*+* Of the two tunes named, one, 0 no, no, no, not yet, was mentioned in
vol. vi. pp. 557 and .583. It agrees with the tune of III never love thee nunc,
given in the late William Chappell's Popular Music, p. 380. Printed in vol. vi.
p. 246, is " Virginity grown troublesome," which gave second name to the tune,
from its burden of ''What shall 1 do, shall I dye for love, and never have my will?"
143
CJje Otrtuous a^aitrs Eesolution.
JjEFOKE reaching "The Wonderful Praise of a Good Husband,"
we listen to the praise of a still greater rarity, A Good Wife. It is
a memorable ballad, with an often-mentioned burden : In my freedom
is all my joy ! Tune of, I am a poor and harmless Maid.
*#* The tune -name (altering the tense) might possibly have been suggested
from the first line of a unique ballad (Rawlinson Collection, 566, fol. 104),
entitled, " The Young Ladie's Complaint against her deceitful Gallant ; Being a
Caution for all Females to have a care how they are deluded by great Pretences.
This song in plain terms now does make appear
That Ladies in their loves deceived are :
Then let all other maidens have a care
How they be catcht in a false tempting snare.
To a New Tune, called, I was a harmless Maid." This is the first line of the
ballad itself, written by L[au]. W[hite] ; Licensed by Roger L'Estrange, before
August 1685; and printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, IV. Thackeray, and
T. Passinger, all of whom earlier held our ballad as their property. But we
doubt this "Complaint" having been the line cited. ' Was ' might easily be
changed to ' am ' in the loose way habitual at the time ; but to interpolate an
additional adjective ' poor and,' without authority and thus alter the rhythm,
doubles the improbability of identity. There is a ballad beginning " I am a poor
distressed Maid," one entitled " The Mournful Maiden's Complaint for the Loss
of her Maidenhead ; or, A Caution to other Maidens to take warning by." The
tune of it is, Old Ale has undone me. (This is the burden of John Wade's
Bagford Ballad, see Hoxb. Bds., vol. vi. p. "273, 274 ; the same tune as his Tlie
Maid's the best that lies alone.) With allowance. Printed for J. Hose, over
against Staples- Inn, in Moulbourn, near Grays Inn Lane. This might be the true
" I am a poor and harm/ess Maid."
Whatever original name the present tune may have had, this ballad conferred
one, references becoming frequent afterwards to In my freedom is my joy, which is
the chief burden. Its own third stanza, beginning, "lama young and harmless
Maid," appears to be the most probable fountain-head of the tune-name attached
to it, lam a poor and harmless Maid.
[These two cuts, without the flower, belong to p. 142 ; the Lady also to p. 135.]
144
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 552 ; Pepys, III. 37 and 54; Eawlinson, 25.]
Ci)e flllertuous S$aii)f8 Resolution ;
Showing what ITnconstaut Men there be, that use Deceit and Flattery ;
They'll cog, dissemble, swear and lye, a Harmless Maiden's Life to try ;
To all such Lovers she'll be coy, and says, 'My Freedom's all my Joy.''
To the Tune of, I am a poor and harmless Maid, etc. [See p. 143.]
IN a melancholly passion I was walking by a river [w]ide,
A gallant Damsel I did spy ; a lute she had lay by her side,
Which up she took, and did sing and play,
That in her freedom was all her joy, " 0 in my freedom's all my joy ! "
I stept aside, because I'd hear the full conclusion of her song,
Her musick ravish'd so mine ear, as on the ground I lay along.
Then did she sweetly play, " 0 in my freedom' 's all my joy ! " 12
"lama young and harmless Maid, and some are pleas'd to stile me fair,
There'snoman yet hath ambush laid, to catch me but I break the snare :
What though they count me nice and coy, yet in my freedom' s all my joy.
" Most young Men have alluring words, poor silly Maidens to betray,
Such complements they can afford, that we can hardly say them nay :
But let them term me nice, and coy, 0 in my freedom's all my joy !
*' "With oaths and protestations great, sometimes they seek to try their
skill,
When all the while they mean deceit, for to obtain their wanton will :
And seek their utmost to destroy our utmost and our chief est joy . 30
" With amorous words and speeches fair, they'll promise that they
ne'r will do,
But of such youngsters I'd beware, for fear I afterwards should rue :
What though they count me nice and coy, yet in my freedom's all my joy.
Yet in my freedom 's all my joy.
" Alluring baits also they have, as silver bodkins, gloves, and rings,
With girdles, scarves, and jewels brave, and many other costly things;
13ut those silver hooks shall ne'r destroyer in my freedom's all my joy.
" Whatsoever they give, talk, or say, I'll ne'r believe them e'er the more,
Their smoothing words shall not me betray, I'll stand to what I said
before,
Although they count me nice and coy, [_yet in my freedom's, etc.]
" Yet I could quickly be in love, if I on honest man could find,
That would once true and constant prove, aDd not be wavering like
the wind ; A little time I w ill be coy \_yet in my freedom' '«], etc."
The Virtuous Maid's Resolution. 145
[£fte Secant; Part.]
HEre in this Second Part you'l find a Husband pleasing to her mind ;
This vertuous Maid hath one obtain'd, though long, at last her
love was gain'd,
She saith her Husband she'll obey, And in his love shall be her joy.
And thus she did conclude her song, which having done, I up did rise,
My heart was struck with love so strong, her beauty dazled both
mine eyes ;
My freedom then she did destroy, for in her love was all my joy.
"When she espy'd me where I was, she l-ose and would no longer stay,
I stept unto [her] then, because my heart she bore with her away :
" Fair Maid," said I, "do not destroy my freedom, and my chief est joy.''''
She blushing then, to me did say, "I do desire no company."
" Fair Maid," said I, " 0 say not nay to him that means no flattery :
You have my heart, 0 be not coy, in you is all my earthly joy.
" Sweet-heart," said I, "few words I use, but what I speak is from
my heart,
I scorn your vertue to abuse, then grant me love e'er I depart :
Your freedom I will not destroy, for in your love is all my joy."
With that she took me by the hand, and led me up by the river side,
" If that you true and constant prove," quoth she, " perhaps I'll be
your Bride."
Then on her lute did sing and play, Be constant, and Til he thy joy.
I then made bold to crave a kiss, which modestly she to me gave,
I took it for a heavenly bliss, her comely gesture was so brave :
I thought it long to see the day wherein I might my Love enjoy.
But to conclude, we married were, I have obtain'd a vertuous "Wife ;
And at the last I brought to pass what she to others had deny'd :
Although at first she seemed coy, she calls me now her only joy.
Young Men and Maids where e're you be, that hear this song, I'd
wish you learn
A pattern by our civility, then Lovers true you may discern,
For them that seek for to destroy your freedom [will be all your joy~\.
Vertue beyond all beauty goes, but he that gains them both is rare,
Only for wealth let no man choose, for constant love is void of care ;
A vertuous Wife will ne'r destroy your freedom, but will be your joy.
London : Printed by and for W[iUiam\ 0\nley\, for A. Melbourne],
and are sold by J. Beacon.
[In Black-letter. Eawlinson's printed for E. Burton, and sold by F. Coles, T.
Vere, J. Wright, and /. Clarke. Two woodcuts, the lady, of p. 78, and the
man, of p. 206. Date of the ballad's earlier issue, circa 1674.]
VOL. VII.
T<
146
anontictful IPraise of a <$ooD rpustmnt!,
Mrs. Page. — " Your Husband's here at hand." — Merry Wives, iii. 3.
0 this Roxhurghe Ballad there is extant an authorized Sequel
(Pepys Coll., IV. 89). It is entitled " An Answer to the Praise of
a Good Husband ; or, The Dutiful Daughter's Fortunate Marriage."
It was issued by the same publisher, sung to the same tune, My life
and my death, etc., and was similarly licensed by Richard Pocock :
"This may be printed, R.P." It begins with a line that had been
the burden of the antecedent ballad: " Good Husbands are Jewels
far better than Gold!" Then follows the verse Argument : —
Her tender mother she obey'd, who did good Counsel give,
And was resolv'd to live a Maid, while she might happy live
In love free from all care and strife : in thissbe's not to blame,
For now she is a Merchant's Wife, and lives in worthy fame.
This shows a similar disposition for celibacy in the dutiful daughter
to that displayed by our ' Oxfordshire Damosel ' (pp. 134, 135),
and a similar ending ; for we learn that she accepted a good offer :
" Now may she lead as sweet a life as she is fair and pretty,
For now she is a Merchant's Wife, of London's famous city."
There are also two companion ballads, balancing the respective
admonitions to the two sexes, as in our Church Matrimonial Service
(which admittedly with suggestive force begins " Dearly Beloved,"
and ends with "Amazement," even as wedlock itself so often does).
One is entitled ' The Married Man's best Portion ; or, A new Song
plainly setting forth the Excellency and incomparable Worth of a
good Wife, also how much Happiness doth continually attend upon
that man that enjoys her.' To the tune of Fancied Phoenix [p. 42].
It begins, "Amongst those worldly joyes," etc. Burden, There is
no Comfort in this life, Like to a constant loving Wife. London,
printed for W. Thackeray, T. Passinger, and W. Westwood. The
other is ' The Batchelor's Guide, and the Married Man's Comfort.'
It begins, "All Batchelors now come hearken to me," 1685-88.
Burden, A Wife that is loving . . . she deserves a good man.
*** Here are two alternative and distinct tunes named for our present ballad.
1st. My Life and my Death are both in your power. The story of this has been
fully told on pp. 47, 48, ante. 2nd, alternative tune, is The Poor Man's Counsellor
[or, The Marry'd Man's Guide], a ballad reprinted on a later page. It is Roxb.
Coll., II. 266, and III. 396; begins, " Come, friend, if thy leisure permit thee
to stay," and is appointed to be sung to the tune of ' The Poor Man's Comfort,'
a Pepysian and Rawlinson ballad, beginning, " Mv heart is oppressed with sorrow,
sweet Wife." ' Counsellor ' and ' Comfort' were printed for F. Coles, W. Thackeray,
and T. Passinger. « Comfort ' marked to the tune of Fair Angel of England (see
Roxb. Ballads, i. 181), agreeing in music with Bonny sweet Robin [is all my
joy], of lost words except the line quoted by Ophelia in Samlet, act iv., and
" My Robin is to the greenwood gone." (See Popular Music, p. 234.)
D]
147
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 532 ; Pepys, IV. 88 ; Jersey, II. 233.]
Wtyt aJHortDerfttl i&ratoe of a dfoolr
^ugbano; or, %§z fcmii ano careful #otgcc'0 Counsel
to gee SDauggrcr.
Bad Husbands they oft run astray, as being most unkind ;
But Good we see, will always be of a far better mind.
Tune of, My Life and my Death ; or, The Poor Man's Counsellor.
|Ear Daughter, I'de have thee to take special care
With whom thou dost marry, for why ? I declare,
Bad Husbands occasion much sorrow and grief,
It seldom or never affords a relief.
Besides, in their humours they'l ne'r he controuVd,
Good Husbands are Jewels far better than Gold.
Some men are so wilful they'l spend all their store,
And say, when 'tis gone, they can labour for more ;
This resolute humour will bring them to know,
In time of affliction, much sorrow and woe.
For Friendship is scarce, and Charity's cold,
Good Husbands [_are Jewels far better than Gold']. 12
That Maid that shall wed an Extravagant Man,
Altho' she may labour and do what she can,
Yet all is in vain, for if he does consume,
Yet trouble and sorrow must needs be her doom.
Dear Daughter, I tell you I knoio this of old,
Good Husbands \_are Jeioels far better than Gold].
Some women, when marry'd, great Portion have brought ;
Yet riotous husbands their ruine hath wrought :
For those that will lead an extravagant life
Regards not the tears of a sorrowful Wife.
Their houses are mortgaged, and livings are sold,
Good Husbands are Jewels far better than Gold. 24
To gaming, and hawking, and hunting they'l ride,
With drinking and feasting with harlots beside ;
Full quickly will squander and waste their Estate,
And they may be sorry when it is too late.
Loose living ivill bring them to want when they're old,
Good Husbands are Jewels far better than Gold.
Whenever a Spend-thrift is seen to pass by,
" There goes a good-fellow ! " his cronies will cry ;
"An honest true heart too," this, this is their tone,
" Alas ! he is no body's foe but his own."
But yet loife and children much sorrow behold,
Good Husbands [are Jewels far better than Gold]. 36
148
The Wonderful Praise of a Good Husband.
Your Ale-wives they flourish in silks and black baggs,
While poor men, their clyents, are cloathed in raggs ;
They laugh when they see an old Spend-thrift carrouse,
Because they do feed on the sweat of his brows.
But yet they tvill slight him tohen e're he grows old,
Good Husbands [are Jewels far better than Gold~\.
To speak of their vertues I now may at large,
They'l tender their Wives, and provide for their charge ;
Nothing shall be wanting that they can provide,
Both meat, drink, and cloathing, with all things beside.
Providing in Summer for Winter thaVs cold,
Good Husbands [are Jewels far better than Gold"]. 48
They, like the industrious Bee, will delight
To labour, and bring home their profit at night ;
If such a kind Husband you happen to have,
Your duty, dear Daughter, will then be to save ;
jLnd likewise be loving, not given to scold,
Good Husbands [are Jewels far better than Gold'].
When Wives by their Husbands are dearly ador'd,
No greater a Blessing the world can afford;
In troubles or crosses, or what may befall,
Good Husbands will still bear a share in them all ;
And in their kind arms their siveet Wives will infold,
Good Husbands [are Jewels far better than Gold]. 60
Jim's. This may be Printed, R[ich]. P[ocock].
[In Black-letter. Colophon shorn off by Pearson's sheet-mounter ; but the
Pepys exemplar says ' Printed for /. Deacon, at the sign of the Angel in Guilt-
spur -street.' Four woodcuts: 1st, the lady of p. 45; 2nd, another, wry-
mouthed, of vi. 76; 3rd and 4th, men, of vi. 163, left, and 173, ri^ht,
respectively. Date, Licence, 1685-88. This woodcut belongs to p. 45 and p. 150.]
s
149
[Eoxburglie Collection, III. 88 ; Douce, II. 216 verso.J
SDtalogue ftettoeen Thomas and John.
lit tf)t pzaiw, anti otgpratge of Momtn, ano Mine.
Thomas against the "Women doth contend,
But John most stoutly doth their cause defend.
Young and Old, read these lines that ensue,
You'l all confess that which I write is true.
I know no reason, but that, without dispute,
This may as well be printed, as sung to Lute.
To a gallant delightful new Tune, well known amongst Musitioners,
and in Play-houses, called, Women and Wine. [See p. 153.]
Thomas.
Ome Women are like to the Wine, like the Sea, and like the Rocks;
But they that proves them soon may find 'em like the Win[dj
and Weather-Cocks : . [text, 'Wine.*
But if you'l believe me, Fie tell you true
What light Women are like unto :
Wine, Wine, Women and Wine, thus may you compare them too.
John.
Women most constant Men do find, not like the Sea, hut like the Rocks;
They are evermore loving and kind, not like the Wine and Weather-
Cocks. But if, etc. 18
Thomas.
Women have hooks, and women have crooks, so hath the Wine, so
hath the Wine, [Scilicet, the Fine.
Which draws great Lawyers from their books, so will the Wine, so
will the Wine. But if, etc.
John.
Women have beauty and fair looks, so hath the Wine, so hath the Wine;
Far surpassing the Lawyers' books, more than the Wine, more, etc.
But if you'l believe me, Fie tell you true
What good Women are like unto :
Wine, Wine, Women and Wine, thus may you compare them too.
Thomas.
WOmen are witches when they may, so is the Wine, so is the Wine,
Which causeth men from their wives to stray, so will the
Wine, so will the Wine.
But if you'l believe me, Fie tell you true,
What light Women are like unto :
Wine, Wine, Women and Wine, thus may you compare them too.
150 Dialogue in Praise of Women and Wine.
John.
"Women are witty when they may, so is not Wine, so is not Wine,
And causeth Men at home to stay, so doth not "Wine, so doth not
Wine. But if, etc, 54
Thomas.
Women have arms for to imbrace, so hath the Wine, so hath the Wine,
"Which brings brave gallants to disgrace, so doth the Wine, so doth
the Wine. But if, etc.
John.
Women most sweetly do imbrace, more than the Wine, more, etc.,
And save their Husbands from disgrace, so doth not Wine, so doth
not "Wine. But if, etc. 72
Thomas.
"Women's tongues are like sharp swords, so is the Wine, so is the "Wine,
Which urgeth men to swear damn'd [Words], so doth the Wine, so
doth the Wine. But if, etc. [Text has' Oaths.'
John-.
Women's tongues do speak sweet words, so doth not Wine, so, etc.
They can perswade from damned Oaths, so will not Wine, so will
not Wine. But if, etc. 90
Thomas.
Women they do use to change, so doth the Wine, so doth the Wine,
And oftentimes abroad do range, when Sun doth shine, when Sun
doth shine. But if, etc.
John.
Good Women they will never change, so will the Wine, so will, etc.,
For profit they abroad will range, Hail, Rain, or Shine, Hail, Kain,
or Shine. But if, etc. 108
Thomas.
Women they will fight and brawl, fill'd with Wine, fill'd with Wine,
Their Husbands they will Cuckolds call, inflam'd with Wine, inflam'd
with Wine. But if, etc.
John.
Good Women they will comfort all, like the best Wine, like, etc.,
What ever sorrow doth befall ; so will good AVine, so will good Wine.
But if yoiCl believe me, Fie tell you true
What good Women are like unto :
Wine, Wine ! Women and Wine, thus you may compare them too.
Printed for J. Williamson, at the Sun and Bible, in Cannon-street,
neer London-stone.
[Black-letter. Cut3 : 1st and 2nd in vol. i. 24 ; 3rd on p. 148. Date, circd 1665.]
151
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 451 ; Pepys, III. 154 ; Jersey, II. 236.]
%obias' 2ttMce ;
£)r, 0 HUme&p for a ranting goung-^an*
"While you are single you take but little care,
Therefore I say, Better you married were ;
Perhaps there's some at this will make a jest,
But I say still a married life is best.
Therefore young men take this Advice of me,
Better take one than run to two or three.
To the Tune of, Daniel Cooper [vide p. 152]. By Tobias Bowne.
OK May morning, as I walkt forth, I to my self was musing ;
Thought I what a Fool am I in truth that I so long am chusing ;
For Maids enough are to be had, I to my self was thinking,
Sure I will have one, good or bad, to keep me out of drinking.
Yet some there be have said to me, ' A single life is gallant ; '
But where is he that I can see that lays up any Talant ? [Cf.p. 161.
They'l say, ' We'l live so all our life, for marriage we'l prevent it;'
But where is he without a wife that can live well contented ? 16
For marriage is a thing ordain'd, and what man can deny it ?
If my true-love doth constant prove, I am resolv'd to try it :
He that doth live a single life I count a simple action,
But if you get a loving Wife, that will be satisfaction.
I pray observe what I do speak, you'l say these lines are witty ;
How many hearts you cause to break in country, town and city,
And then you think to cast it off, and turn it to a laughter ;
You think that you do well enough, but pray mark what comes after.
"When I was young, I did the like ; then I was brisk and bonny ;
Sometimes [to] walk abroad all night, and so spent all my money ;
But now I see it's vanity, I'le strive for to prevent it,
I'le go no more to seek a whore : I'm with my wife contented. 40
All you stand by, I ask you why that marriage should be slighted ?
Sure you may say, as well as I, ' young men are over-sighted : '
But here you run, & there you run, and count yourselves brave fellows,
But if that One you had at home, she'd keep you from the Alehouse.
A young man said that he would wed, but he airn'd at promotion ;
He fain would have a wife in bed, but not without a portion :
I call'd him Fool unto his face, I did not like his speeches;
Said I, ' Take thou a virtuous lass, she's better far than riches.' 56
If once you get a loving mate, and you abroad are ranting,
You'l think, Why shall I stay out late, my wife she finds me wanting ;
I will haste home unto my choice, she shall not for me tarry : '
And if you will take my advice, I think it good to marry.
152 Tobias' Advice, and Tohie' a'_JSxperience.
And then you may live happily, he hut a little thrifty ;
Sure if you spend your time away till you do mount to fifty,
And then a wife you chance to have, you may become a Father ;
You'l say,' What money might I havesav'd, had I heen married rather.'
And so I bid you all adieu, I hope you don't deny me,
I do not speak to you or you, but all that stand here by me.
It's but a penny once [in] your life, the Ballad's ready for ye ;
And so I wish you a good wife, when that you chance to marry !
Jim's. Printed for P. Broohby in Py[e~]-corner.
[In Black-letter, with four woodcuts. 1st, the two figures in a park, as in
p. 136 ; 2nd, a small figure of a man holding a parchment with a seal
attached, and a dog beside him : 3rd and 4th, the woman and man of vol. vi.
p. 78. Date, 1672-94. The name of the tune being cited in its earlier use,
Daniel Cooper (see vol. vi. pp. 6 and 520), and not the later, Tom the Taylor
near the Strand (cf. p. 188, ballad entered to Jonah Deacon in Stat. Registers,
12 June, 1684), indicates the date of " Tobias' Advice " as 1672-83.]
CotJie'0 amricc anB OBrpcrience. '
Froth. — "I thank your "Worship. For mine own part, I never come into any
room in a Tap-house but I am drawn in." — Measure for Measure, ii. sc. 1.
IjOXCERNING TOBIAS BOWXE and his Ballads, see the lists of them in
our vol. iv. pp. 342, 343, and vol. vi. pp. 158, 159.
' Tobie's Experience ' of the various tricks and allurements employed by the
hostesses, tapsters and bar-maidens of his time, might have entitled it to come
into our previous ' Group of Trades,' but the close connection of matrimonial
squabbles with the husband's public-house improvidence sufficiently justify the
ballad being inserted here ; not to mention the probability of this Tobie being
the same as the Tobias Bowne whose " Advice " in favour of marriage forms its
befitting prelude. In the posthumous volume of his Essays and Phantasies, 1881,
the late James Thomson, in a " "Word for Xantippe," generously pleaded for
mitigation of the penalty universally decreed against the long-suffering spouse of
Socrates. So did Amy Levy's ' Xantippe.' Each volume by the author of The City
of Dreadful Night deserves loving attention. But the banquettiugs and discussions
of philosophy, de omnibus rebus et quibusdam a/iis, that kept the divine Athenian
Silenus so many hours apart from his wife and family, and also from the useful
handicraft which should have furnished funds to maintain them in comparative
comfort instead of squalor and penury, were not so far removed in kind from the
revelry which, to men of lower instincts, the Ale-house afforded "J« the merry
old times of our ancestors ; In the merry, merry, merry old times ! "
"Tobias' Observation" (although not in the Boxburghe Collection), being
a sequel to his "Fairing for young Men and Maids," and signed by Tobias
Bowne, as was " Tobias' Advice," is added on p. 155.
his
Tl
belongs to a ballad in vol. iii. p. 363 ; with two Sequels/in iii. 366, and iv. 17.
153
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 450. Apparently unique.]
Cotrie's experience explain'!) ♦
Good Fellows all, whatever you be,
I pray take this advice of me :
Strength will decay, Old Age will come,
Therefore save something while you're young.
To the Ttjjte of, That Dill Doul. [See Note, below.]
GOod Fellows all I pray draw near,
To what I here have lately pend.
You'l say 'tis true I do not fear,
And take the author for your friend :
For by experience I have seen
How Landlady s draw good Fellows in,
With " Pray come in, will not you stay,
I have not seen you this many a day." 8
" Come Joan, where is our Maid gone ?
Bring a chair for this honest man.
Come, pray sit down, you'l stay so long
To smoak a pipe, e're you are gone."
Such tricks they have, and ten times worse,
To draw the coyn out of your purse,
With " Pray sir, stay, toill you go away ?
I have not seen you this many a day." 16
Aud then she'l whisper in your ear,
" Pray Sir, will you drink ale or beer ?
Joan, fill a flaggon of the best,
This is my friend, and my old guest ;
And something more I will you tell,
Tou are a man that I love well,
And you shall stay, you shall not goe away,
I have not seen you this many a day." 24
And then perhaps a Maid maybe
Will come and smile up in your face,
And She'l sit down upon your knee,
To keep you longer in that place :
Then you may kiss, and something more,
So long as you have money in store;
These are the ba\_i~\tes which they do lay,
Poore honest men for to betray. 32
* The tune named That Dill Doul, from " The Maid's Complaint " (reprinted
in Bagford Ballads, p. 552, 1877), was used with Women and Wine, p. 149.
154 Tobie's Experience Explained.
Some Landladys have got the gout,
They scarce can turn their ar[m]s about,
They are so lazy, and so fat,
Their money is so easily got :
Some do complain of the Excise,
But I am sure that poor trades men pays ;
Their measure now is made so short,
That we may pay full three pence a quart. 40
A labouring man must work all day,
For meat and one poor sixpence pay,
If in an Ale house once he went,
How quickly is that sixpence spent ;
Therefore go not into their dore,
For they are fat enough before.
But mind your wife if you have one,
And let these fat- ar[_m' 'd~\e dames alone. 48
Good Fellows all, that stand here by,
Will you say this my song's a lye ?
I think you may confess it's true,
And so I say as well as you.
It is so publick to be seen,
What tricks they have to draw men in,
With " Pray come in, will not you stay ?
Pray call ivhen you do come this way." 56
How happy might we live, and brave,
If we our money did but save,
And not maintain those lazy queens
That never doth take any pains,
Nor toyl, nor wag out of their chear,
To draw a man a pot of Beer,
But call the maid, " Where is she gone ?
Draw some leer for this honest man." 64
And so I do conclude and end,
I pray observe what here is pen'd,
B[u]ye one of them, both great and small, [i.e. broadsides, n.b.
And put them up against your wall :
The price a penny, and that's not dear,
'Twill save you two pence in a year.
And so I hope you'' I gain thereby :
I end having no more to say. 72
Jhu's. [Possibly by Tobias Bowne.]
Printed for P. Broohsby, in West Smithfield.
[Black-letter. One woodcut, as in vol. vi. p. 475. Date, between 1692 and 1693.]
155
[Pepys Collection, III. 155; Huth, II. 102; C. 22, e. 2, fol. 217.]
Cotrias' HDbsettoation,
A Young-man came unto a Fair, by chance lie met his true Love there,
Said he, " Sweet-heart, thou art welcome here," invited her to drink some Beer,
But in the end prov'd ne'r the near, as in this Song it will appear.
Tune of, The Countrij Farmer. [See p. 152.] By Tobias Bowne.
This may be printed, R. P[ocock].
THere was a Young-Man who lately exprest
His love to a Damsel that lived in the West ;
And thus he began his mind to declare,
Said he " Thou art welcome unto this Fair !
I have a great mind with thee to talk,
Come pray let us to the Tavern walk,
I'le do thee no harm, thou need'st not fear,
For Fairing I'le give thee one fiaggon of Beer.
" Pray how doth your Father and Mother at home ? "
" They were well this morning," then answered Joan.
Said he, ' ' If you please to walk with me,
We will be as merry as merry may be :
To tell thee the truth, I do love thee dear,
Yet I am so doubtful my mind to declare
For fear what I ask you should me deny.
And then for your Love I shall surely die. 16
' ' I hope you will not offended be,
Though I be so bold to speak unto thee,
For night nor day I can take no rest,
For Love that lies harbour'd within my breast.
And thou art she that can'st ease my pain,
Then grant me love for love again :
Give me some kind answer my heart to ease,
And let me not languish in Love's disease."
The Maid's Answer.
" Good Sir, I do fancy you jeer at me,
Your Riches and mine will never agree,
For I am a poor Man's daughter, it's known,
I work for my Living abroad and at home.
Sometimes Ime at home, to spinning of Yarn, {text, ' whom.'
And sometimes abroad to reaping of Corn,
Sometimes in the Field to milk the Cow :
I get what I have by the sweat of my brow. 32
" I live as well contented as any Maid can,
What need I entangle my self with a Man ?
I walk where I please at my own command,
I need not say ' Shall I, pray shall I, husband ? '
Now I have my self to guide and to rule,
In marrying some people have played the Fool :
Methinks it is troublesome to be a Nurse,
When children are froward and husbands are worse.
" Yet for your Love I have no cause to deny,
Since you deserve one that is better than I ;
For you have a good estate of your own,
And I am a poor Man's Daughter it's known.
Yet I am content with what little I have,
Perhaps if I marry I may be a Slave ;
Therefore I'le beware how I marry in hast[e],
For fear I have cause to repent at the last." 48
156 Tobias' Observation.
The Man's Answer.
"0 prithee, my dearest, take pitty on me,
No one in the World I fancy but thee,
And do not abuse me for loving thee dear,
I'le willingly tarry for thee one whole year.
NotbiDg shall be wanting thy mind to fulfil,
So thou wilt but grant me thy Love and good Will ;
But if thou deny me, and love thou hast none,
Then surely thy Heart is as hard as a Stone.
" Sweet-heart, prethee tell me, I know you well can,
Whether you do fancy another young-man ?
Pray pardon my boldness in asking so far,
Or to any other ingaged you are ?
My dearest, resolve me, if you'l be so kind,
That will be great ease to my troubled mind,
But if from all other Men thou art free,
I shall live in hopes that my Bride thou wilt be." 64
The Maid's Answer.
" Good Sir, you pretend a great deal of good will,
Yet T am not ready your mind to fulfil,
For I have no fancy to be made a Wife,
Nor ne'r was concern'd with no man in my Life.
And for to live single it is my delight,
And so, honest young-man, I wish you good-night.
Pray, by your leave, let me pass by you, young-man,
For now it is high time for me to be gone."
The Man's Answer.
" And must thou begone, and no longer wilt stay P
Then I wish I had not 'a seen thee this day,
For now I am troubled with doubt and with fear,
Because I am slighted for loving so dear.
Young-men I advise you, where ever you be,
If Cupid do hit you, then think upon me ;
Although you love dearly, yet never declare
Unto any Damsel the love that you bare." 80
[Tobias Bowne adds his usual commercial Note.]
And so, having ended, I wish you all well,
Each young man and maid to the place where you dwell ;
But yet I would have you one penny bestow,
And that is the price of this Ballad you know. [N.B.
You know it is good to learn Children to Bead,
It's fit for a Young-man to sing to a Maid ;
It is good for pastime on each holy-day,
And here be the Ballads, come buy them away !
Printed for P. Brookshj, at the Golden Ball in Pye- Corner.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, the Exuberant Matron receiving the
Minikin Swain = Boxb. Ballads, iii. 367; 2nd, the not-to-be-trifled-with Court
Lady, of vi. 61 ; 3rd, the fat flying Cupid, of vi. 50. Date, as registered by the
Stationers' Company, 3rd August, 1687; but licensed by B. P., 7th June, 1686.]
*** Possibly by Tobias Bowne is yet another Tobias ballad, viz. " Toby's Delight,"
or, " An Encouragement of poor young Men and Maids," beginning, "Thou art
she whom I love dearly " ( Douce Coll. ,11. 215) : given later, before next ' Group. '
0
157
Cfje Jfteto ©3ap of a^artiap.
" How oft, when press'd to Marriage, have I said,
' Curse on all laws but those which Love has made !
Love, free as air, at sight of human ties
Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies.
Let wealth, let honour, wait the wedded dame,
August her deed, and sacred be her fame ;
Before true passion all those views remove ;
Fame, wealth, and honour ! what are you to Love ? . . .
Should at my feet the world's great master fall
Himself, his throne, his world, I'd scorn them all ;
Not Ccesar's Empress would I deign to prove ;
No, make me Mistress to the man I love.
If there be yet another name more free,
More fond than Mistress, make me that to thee ! "
— Pope, Epistle of Eloisa to Abelard, 1717.
UE, Group of ' Anti-Matrimonial and Matrimonial Ballads '
would have been sorely incomplete had it lacked this out-spoken
profession of the Free-Love heresy, as here contained in " The New
Way of Marriage." Whenever the debate arises as to the balance
struck between advantages and disadvantages of celibacy as contrasted
with those of wedlock — the single-blessedness which peradventuie
is merely a pseudonym for single-' cussedness,' stale virginity, or
crabbed bachelorhood as the case may be — there are always some
impure minds certain to make their vicious inclinations known, in
favour of illicit connection, while rebelling against what they deem
the ' conventional tyranny' of even the best-adjusted marriages.
Nobody wishes to cramp the Muse from her higher flight, or
from her boldest wanderings ; nobody, at least, who is Anybody.
We tolerate a great deal, we even laughingly admire, quote and
echo, many an audacious stanza that embodies, with more or less of
music and neat precision, sentiments that might well deserve severe
censure if proclaimed in a sober prose treatise, or with the rant and
howling of the professional demagogue, or the iconoclastic heterodox
preacher. School-girls are permitted to read unchecked Pope's
Eloisd 's Epistle to Abelard, Tennyson's Vivien, and Mrs. Browning's
Aurora Leigh. It is scarcely doubtful that had these themes been
given in the form of prose novels, they would have been banished
as corrupting influences ; and certainly it is demonstrable that the
banishment would have been a wise precaution. " The New Way of
Marriage," passing the Licenser unfettered, met "with Allowance."
So well : but grown-up people need neither a grandmotherly Home-
Secretary, nor Laputa Clarke, to tabulate a fresh Index Ex pur gator ins
suitable to their own narrow opinions of prurient propriety. Such
prudes outrun the pseudonymous " Thomas Maitland " himself in
scenting impurity. Whatever bane is in this Roxburghe Ballad,
and p. 181, the antidote is in Tobias Bowne's "Advice" on p. 151.
"D1
158
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 381; Douce, II. 165; Jersey, I. 181.]
%\)t igeto JKUap of Carriage ;
©r,
0 pleasant Contract bcttotcn John and Kate.
Marriage that simple Contract still doth bind,
And mittigate the freedom of the mind ;
Kate for prevention of that endless strife,
Will be a Mistris rather than a Wife.
To a Pleasant New Tune. With Allowance.
John.
^Earest do ! You easily may,
The place is agreeing to't ;
And no one can see us do't ;
Then don't delay:
The torment is so great that I endure,
That you must immediately kill or cure ;
For time admits of no demurr
In such a case as this :
I'd rather dye, than be so nigh,
And reap not bliss."
Kate.
" 0 kind John, why so fast?
Yet for all this clatter,
I know no such matter ;
There's no hast:
I'm not at leisure yet to be undone,
Though you languish still in pain, and make moan ;
Let the Parson speak some words,
And we shall soon agree ;
For my mind is to be hind,
Onely to thee." 20
John.
" Dearest Love, think what you say,
If once the Parson prove it,
You never can remove it,
Night nor day.
Marriage is a tye does fools confine,
They no sooner enter in, but repine ;
Then who would feed in one poor Dish,
And that unwholsome' drest :
"When he is sure, he can procure
A nobler Feast ?
The New Way of Marriage. 159
" Then dear Kate, my only joy ;
I have a way more easie,
And that I know will please thee,
Mark what I say :
"We will the modish way of love pursue, Iie- a la mode-
Love and lye without a tye, yet still be true ;
Thus in each other's joys will we
Receive the rapt'ing bliss,
And this shall all the contract be,
Seal'd with a kiss." 40
Kate.
" But, dear Join, it is well known,
Young-men their love doth last
~No longer than, the pleasure's past, ["then."
And so be gone.
Therefore if you mean with me to ease your mind,
To this you must immediately be confin'd,
That you on none but me do build
Tour faith and love alone ;
Then I will thus enviting yield :
Come, dear John."
Jorctf.
" Dearest, since you thus comply,
I plight my faith in trust,
And to it will be just,
Until I dye :
My fancy shall no more a roving flye,
But to thee I constantly will tye :
Till we have acted what we meant,
And cloy'd each other's heart,
Then as we came, with joynt consent,
We'l kiss and part." 60
Kate.
" "Well, kind John, my love you have won,
I like this indifferent well,
When either with enjoyment swell,
To stay, or be gone.
Then don't with Courtship sue, you've gain'd the field;
But to pleasure pay its due :
I freely yield."
Being thus agreed, they went away,
All sorrows to remove :
Within each other to enjoy the sweets of Love. JtrttS.
Printed for P. Broohhj, at the G[oldcn~] Ball in West-smith-field.
[Black-letter. Three cuts, one on p. 216 ; two on vol. vi. p. 205. Date, 1672-94.]
160
[Roxburghe Collection, II I. 166, 167 ; Pepys, I. 292.]
Cfje EtntJ=J)eattetJ Creature;
©r,
The prettiest Jest that er'e you knew,
Yet t'le say nothing but what is true ;
I once heard of a cunning whore,
But ner'e the like of this before.
To the Tune of, The Mother beguiled the Daughter. [See p. 161.]
A LI you that are disposed now to heare a merry jest.
By me shall be disclosed how a bonny Lasse contest,
That she had loved one or two, nay, two or three and twenty,
1 cannot tell what they did doe, but she had Lovers plenty.
Sing Boyes, drink Boyes, why should we not he merry ?
Vie tell you of a bonny Lasse, and her Love beyond the Ferry.
This bonny Lass had [been] caught [in trap], it seemes, by some young shaver;
She being match ['d] with such mishap, the Ladds began to leave her;
Though she mist of their company, some one made sure his bargain :
But she was lov'd of so many, that it is [not] worth regarding.
Yet she will sing, and alwayes say, " Drink round, and let's be merry ;
I have a love in Lankeshire, and a little beyond the ferry" 24
She now being called to account, for to discribe aright
What yo[u]ng man was the Father on't, and her owne heart's-delight ;
But she could not resolve the same, because there was so many,
She knew not's Trade, nor yet his name, for she was free for any.
Sing Boyes; [drink Boyes ; why should we not be merry], etc.
Quoth she, "And if it haue a Booke, then 'twas the man i' th' Gowne,
Or other wayes, an't haue a hooke, 'twas the Sheephard on the down;
Or if it haue a whip in's hand, then sure it was a Carter ;
Or if it cannot goe nor stand, I thinke 'twas drunken Artor. [Arthur.
Sing Boyes, [drink Boyes ! why should we not be merry,~\ etc.
" And if it haue a new fashion, 'twas one came out of France;
And if it be a Musician, 'twas one [who] taught me to dance ;
And if in's hand a needle be, then sure it was a Taylor ;
Or if it chance to crosse the Sea, I thinke it was a Saylor.
Sing Boyes, drinke Boyes, why should we not be merry?
I have a love in Lankeshire, and a litle beyond the ferry. 60
STrjc £ccorrti Part. To the Sajie Toje.
ANd if it haue a Hammer, then sure a Smith was he ;
And if it be full of man[n]er, 'twas one of good degree ;
Or if it haue a shuttle, a Weaver sure was he then ;
And if that it be wise and su[b]tle, 'twas one of the Bayliffe's yong-men.
Sing Boyes, [drink Boyes, why should], etc. [Cf. p. 11.
" And if it haue a long locke, a Courtier sure was he ;
And if it be a prety-cocke, then that w[ould] William be ; [' was^-he.'
And if it haue a shooe in 's hand, it was the Doone Shoomaker ;
Or if it haue a durty hand, 'twas sure a dunghill-raker. Sing boyes, etc. 84
Note. — This is what came of the Free-love line of business. Young ladies who
inadvertently adopted "The New Way of Marriage" (which was a tolerably old
way, if we are to trust ancient records, "afore the Fluid"), met a 'mishap' (like
Lady Grisel's maid Kirsty Henderson in John Skelton's ' Campaigner at Home'),
she " could hae gotten_plenty of feythers ! " One suffices, for moderate minds.
The Kind-hearted Creature. 161
And if it haue a kettle, then sure he was a Tinker ;
And if he be fall of mettle, 'twas sure a good Ale-drinker ;
And if that he be gresie, then sure it was a Butcher ;
And if that it be lowsie, then sure it was a Botcher. Sing Boyes, etc.
And if in's hand a flower be, a Gardner was the man, sure ;
And if it loue to take a Fee, I think twas the 'Pariture : [= Apparitor.
And if it be in a gowne of gray, 'twas one that Hues i' th' Country ;
And if that it be fresh and gay, 'twas one of the common gentry. Sing Boyes, etc.
" And if it have a Pen in's hand, then sure it was a Scriu'ner ;
And if i' th' Tauern he love to stand, then sure it was a Vintner :
And if it haue a drowsie eye, 'twas him that they call ' Sleeper ' ;
And if with bromes and homes he cry, 'twas sure the Chimney-sweeper. Sing, etc.
" And if in's hand he haue a Funne, then sure it was a Baker ; [q. Fan.
And if he loue to drinke i' th' Tunne, 'twas then the good Ale-maker;
And if he loue to ride a Horse, 1 think it was an Ostler ;
Or else it was the man o' th' Crosse, that was a valiant Wrastler. Sing Boyes, etc.
" And if it haue a mealy face, 'twas him that grin[d]es the Come ;
And if a long note be in place, 'tis him that windes the Horne ;
And many more I here might name, which lov'd me once most dearely ;
But that indeed it is a shame, for enough is shewen hereby. Sing Boyes, etc.
" Now all the hope I have is this, my barne must haue a Father, [Note.
And I confesse I did amisse, would I had repented rather.
Yet ther's a youngman loves me wel, but I could nere abide him ;
I know of me hel'e have no feare, though many will deride him." [cf. p. 229.
Sing Boyes, [drinke Boyes ! why should we not be merry ?
I've told you of a bonny Basse, and her Love beyond the Ferry."] 156
R[ichard C[rimsall].
London, Printed for F. Coules.
[Black-letter. Five woodcuts : 1st, a hooped Lady with ruff ; 2nd on p. 165, L. ;
the others are all in vol. i., 3rd, on p. 190, centre; 4th, on p. 175, left; 5th,
drummer, on p. 475. Date (transfer) in Stationers' Registers, 24 June, 1630.]
*#* Line 146 might seem to identify our ballad, as the one that gave the new
name of My Child must have a Father (cf. p. 32), sung here to the tune known as
The Mother beguiled the Daughter. There had been two other ballads modelled on
the original, but temporarily-lost ballad, "The Mother beguiled the Daughter,"
viz. " The Father beguiled the Son," regis. 20 June, 1629; and " The Son beguiled
the Father," registered 3 July, 1630. The tune itself was used alternatively with
several others, probably distinct from it : 1st, Stingo, or Oil of Barley, known later
(p. 233, Charles II. 's favourite song by Tom D'Crfey) as Cold and raw; 2nd, I have
but a mark a year ; 3rd, The Country Lass, the tune now used for ' Sally in our
Alley,' instead of Henry Carey's own music. (Cf. pp. 72, 112.)
But we believe that the popularization of the tune-name, as My Child must
have a Father, belongs later to a Pepysian ballad entitled " The London Lasse's
Folly ; or, The Maiden beguiled ; " licensed by Roger L'Estrange before August,
1685, and beginning, " Not long ago it chanced so, abroad as I was walking," and
sung to the tune of [A Job for] the Journeyman Shooe-maker; the burden varying,
but generally stating that 'My Child shall have a Father. (It is reprinted in these
Eoxb. Ballads, iii. 351, and on p. 353 is the Sequel or Answer, entitled, " The
New-Found]Father discovered in the Camp " Both printed for C. Dennisson. )
There was evidently a common idea and treatment for these ballads, and
Richard Crimsall's is certainly the earliest of the three; its tune-name and
publisher indicate this, beside internal evidence of crudity, and the Stationers'
Company Register. A Job for the Journeyman Shooe-maker was sung to the tune
of A Touch of the Times ; same as My Child must have a Father. (Cf. pp. 32, 99.)
VOL. VII.
M
162
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 176 ; Pepys, I. 404.]
IRoc&e t&e Cranie, 3ojm:
©r,
Children after the rate of twenty-foure in a yeere,
That's two euery moneth as plaine doth appeare,
Let no man at this strange story wonder,
It goes to the tune of, Ouer and vnder. [See Note, p. 164.]
THere was a Country Gallant, that wasted had his talent, [Note, below.
Not dreading what would fall on't, would needs a wooing ride :
Vnto a Lasse of the City, that courteous was and pritty,
This Damsell neat and witty, he would goe make his Bride :
This Lasse she had of wealth good store, her stocke was three-score pound and more,
Though some supposed her to be poore, the same hath late beene tride.
liocke the Cradle, rocke the Cradle, rocke the Cradle, John ;
There's many a man rockes the Cradle, when the Child's none of his owne.
Unto this Lasse incontinent, the Young-man went with good intent,
His love was fixed and firmely bent, to take her to his wife :
Quoth he, " My sweet, while life doth last, my heart is in thy bosome plac'd,
Let not my suit be now disgraced, I love thee as my life."
Said shee, " Your suit I must deny, for I haue vowed a Maid to dye,
If I lose my virginity, it sure will breed much strife."
liocke the Cradle, etc. 32
" I have been wooed by Harry, but I indeed will tarry,
I never mean to marry, while I on earth remaine :
Sweet William and young Thomas too, and Richard hath made much adoe,
And Ned with teares did often woe, but Humphrey did complaine :
All these brave gallants I forsake, I prethee John no more words make,
But to some other course betake, I doe thy suit disdaine.
Goe rocke the Cradle," etc.
Note. — Wasting one's talent (in remembrance of the Parable, S. Matt. xv. 24)
was a favourite allusion in ballads. "The Old Miser Slighted" (Boxburghe
Collection, II. 387), not yet reprinted, to the tune of, "I of ten for my Jinny
strove," and beginning "My Mother duns me everyday," holds the burden of
" A brisk young Gallant has a Talent which is better worth than gold." (Compare
p. 147 ante, the burden of " The Wonderful Praise of a Good Husband.")
Rocke the Cradle, John. 163
The man [was] no whit dismaid, at that which she had said,
But with his Sweet-heart stayed, and did request her still :
He did intreat her favour, 'twas all that he did crave her,
That hee might onely have her, his fancy to fulfill :
"My heart doth fry in Cupid'1 's fire, thy beauty I doe much admire ;
Then yeeld, my love, to my desire, or else a man you kill."
Rocke the Cradle, etc. 64
"When she her selfe did vnderstand, she had a foole caught by the hand,
Her ship she knew was soundly man'd, her belly wondrous round :
Thought she, " This is a friend of mine, it's best make hay while sun doth shine,
Yet to some thing I will him joyne, before my fault be found."
Said she, " If I be made thy wife, thou must me humour all thy life,
And carefull be for feare of strife, like to a 'Prentise bound."
Rocke the Cradle, [_rocke the Cradle, rocke the Cradle, John.]
8H)C SccantJ Pact. To the Same Tune.
" TN the morning, if I desire, thou must rise up and make a fire,
1 And other things I shall require, which thou must undertake ;
My breakfast thou must dresse also, that I from bed to it may goe,
Ail these hard taskes and many more thou must not then forsake, [' more.'
To brush my Gowne and set my band, make clean my shooes at my command,
Thy businesse thou must vnderstand if I the word but speake.
Rocke the Cradle, etc. 96
" And when we chance to have a child, thou must like to a Father mild,
Unto the same be reeoncil'd, and dance it on thy knee ;
Or if the infant cry for pap, thou then must take it on thy lap,
And feed it well, what euer hap, if John will many mee ;
Thou must take paines as thou art able, to make the bed, and serve at Table,
And lay the young one in the Cradle, whilst I sing merrily,
Rocke the Cradle," etc.
" Sweet-heart," quoth he, " to please thee, I'le doe all things to ease thee,
I will not once disease thee, nor yet my loue offend.
My hands vnder your feet I'le lay, the wind shall not my loue annoy,
So thou wilt be mine ownely ioy, I'le loue thee to the end.
I'le make the bed, the house I'le sweep, and lull the Baby fast asleepe ;
What you command my selfe will keepe, and will my humour bend."
Rocke the Cradle, etc. 128
To this they both agreed, and married were with speed,
For shee had wondrous need, as you shall heare hereafter ;
The same day month that they were wed, the married man was fairely sped,
His wife was safely brought to bed, and had both sonne and daughter,
Which by the Midwife in was brought, qd. she, ' ' you have a strange thing wrought,
Two children in a moneth begot ! " and so tooke up a laughter.
Rocke the Cradle, etc.
He kist the Girle and lou'd the Boy, said he, " Tou are your father's joy,
There's many are in great annoy, because they have no child :
I knew a Lord and Lady faire, that did desire to haue an heire,
Now I myself haue got a paire, and they are both beguil'd.
My wife is fruitful, now I see, and will some great increase bring mee ! "
" They are your owne assuredly," then said the Midwife mild.
' Rocke the Cradle, etc. 160
164 Roche the Cradle, John.
" See here the Bov is like the Dad, which well may make your heart fal glad,
Cheere up your selfe and be not sad, for that which here is done :
His ruby lips doe plaine disclose, his cherry cheekes and dad's owne nose."
" For twenty pound I will not lose," quoth he, " my little sonne."
So well content this foole was found, he leapt for ioy above the ground.
" Old sorrow shall," 'quoth he, " be drown'd, since new are fresh begun :
Roche the Cradle, Log the Cradle, thus lie have it knowne,
I lone to rocke the Cradle, the children be mine owne."
All you which now haue heard this ditty, take heed with wiues how you doe fit ye,
For if you come to London City, you quickly may be sped ;
As here you see this Country Lad within a moneth was made a Dad,
Though he but little share in't had, his wife was brought to bed ;
And now this simple [fond] woodcocke the Cradle is constrain'd to rocke,
His neighbours doe deride and mockc, cause he is so bestead.
They shout and cry and to him say, " Still the children, John ! "
' Tis enough to make the man to thinke they be none of his owne. 192
L[aurence P[rice].
Jim's.
Printed at London for E. B. [Probably Edward Blackmore ; to whom it is
entered in Stationers' Registers, 4° Novenibris, 1631, D. 229 = l'ranscripl,iv. 263.]
[Black-letter. Single woodcut (the unmutilated original of one given in Bootb.
Ballads, vol. iii. p. 376, a Cuckold holding up a Horn-book ; his wife behind
him, threatening him with a stick). "Woman on p. 162 belongs to p. 99.]
Note on ballad-burden, and Tune.
Over and Under (a ballad registered on 13 June, 1631) is one of the names of
the tune, with variations, known as The Jovial 1'inker, and Joan's Ale is New
(see Popular 3Iusic, pp. 187 to 190). The title came from a Black-letter broadside
(Pepys Coll., I. 264), "Anew little Northern Song," perhaps by Laurence Price,
"Vnder and ouer, ouer and Vnder,
Or a pretty new Jeast, and yet no wonder ;
Or a Mayden mistaken, as many now be:
View well this glasse, and you may plainly see."
" To a pretty new Northern tune," printed for Henry Gosson. It begins —
11 As I abroad was walking I heard two Lovers talking,
One to another speaking, of Lover's constancy.
As in a meadow turning, upon a summer's morning,
I heard these Lovers mourning, 'cause of Love's cruelty.
For under and over, over and under, under and over again ;
Quoth she, ' Sweet-heart, L love thee, as Maidens should love Men? "
"We hereafter reprint another ballad to the same tune (Pepys Coll., I. 396),
and similarly entitled. " Bocke the babie, Joane ; or John, his petition to his
loving wife Joane, ' To Suckle the Babe that was none of her owne.' " To the
tnne of Vnder and Over, beginning "A Young Man in our parish, his Wife was
somewhat currish." The date being 2 January, 163^ (Stat. Beg., D. 234), it
soon followed our ballad, which it imitated : perhaps both were Martin Parker's.
%* Except mention of Tottenham, and a pretty Lass, our Bonny Bryer ballad
has no connection with the Choyce Drollery song, p. 45, 1 656, " As I went to Totnom
on a market day " (=Pills to P. Mel., iv. 179, "As I went to Tottingham ").
165
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 174 ; Apparently Unique.]
Ci)e Bonn? Brper;
©r,
A Lancashire Lasse, her sore lamentation,
For the death of her Loue, and her owne reputation.
To the Tune of The Bonny Broome. [See Note, p. 167.]
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ONe morning early, by the breake of day, walking to Totnam- Court
Upon the left hand of the high way, I heard a sad report ;
I made a stay, and look'd about me then, wondring from whence it was,
At last I spyed within my ken a blyth and buxome Lasse
Sing " 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, theBryer that is so sioeet;
Would I had stayd in Lancashire to milke my Mother's Neate."
I drew more neare and layd me all along upon the grasse so greene,
"Where I might heare her dulcid tongue, yet I was from her unseene ;
"Woe's me" (quoth shee) "that ever I was borne, to come to London
Citty,
For now, alas ! I am a scorne, and none my woes will pitty.
But 0 the Bryer, etc. 24
166 ' The Bonny Bryer, that is so siceet.'
" Mine Game and Aunt have often said at home that London is a place
Where Lasses may to preferment come within a little space.
This I finde true, though they meant otherwise, which makes me
thus lament, ttext' ' Mine ffa>»e,' for yammer.
My b[od]y doth to preferment rise, as if some Barne were in 't.
With 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, the Bryer that is so sweet;
Would 1 had stayd in Lancashire, to milke my Mother's Neate.
" These words did my desire inflame, at home I could not hide,
But up to London in hast[e] I came ; I may bewaile the Tide.
A[h !] now I wish'd that I at home had stayd, and not preferment
sought ;
I'm neither Widdow, Wife, nor Mayde, then what may I be thought ?
With 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, the Bryer that is so sweet;
Would I had stayd in Lancashire, to milke my Mother's Neate.
" 1 had in London tarryed but a yeare, yet in that tinie while,
I fell in love with a bonny Bryer, the sweetest in a mile :
He mickle good- will did beare unto me, I thinke he did not faine,
For by a crauen lately he was in my quarrell slaine.
Siny 0 the Bryer, etc. 60
" Before that deare and most unhappy day, hee with my free consent
Had tane, alas! my mayden-head away, and to wed me in hast[e]
hee meant ;
But my great belly seemeth me to twit, with my too wanton carriage,
To lose that jem, I wanted wit, before my day of marriage.
But 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, the Bryer that is so sweet;
Would I had stayd in Lancashire, to milke my Mother's Neate.
9Ehe SrcontJ -part. To the Same Tuxe.
" "R^ JUst foUre dayes before tne 'ported time that should have
J_) made me a wife,
Sweet Willy-Bryer was slaine in his prime, being stab'd to the heart
with a knife ;
But had it beene with Staffe or Sword, all in the open field,
The Kascall would have eate his word, that thus my deare hath kil'd.
With 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, the Bryer that is so swed;
Would 1 had stayd in Lancashire, to milke my Mother's Neate.
""Woe worth the wretch wherever he be fled, would I reven»'d
could be !
Lost is my Love and my Maiden-head, what shall become of me?
Might I but see him hanging by the cra[i]g, that causeth all this woe,
'Twould something mitigate the plague, which I must undergoe.
But 0 the Bryer, etc. gg
' The Bonny Bryer, that is so siceet.' 167
' ' What shall I doe ? ray shame I cannot hide, my [fo]lly will be knowne,
And all ray friends and kin will me chide for giving away mine owne.
To London Citty will I goe no more, where I have dwelt a yeere,
Yet if I knew how to salve my sore, I'd goe home to Lancashire.
But 0 the Bri/er, [the bonny bonny Bryer,~\ etc."
I, hearing her last speeches that she spoke, rose, and to her I stept,
More pitty did my heart provoke, to see how sore she wept :
" Faire lasse," quoth I, " goe home unto your friends, that is your
safest way ;
Great misery all such attends, that in your case heere stay.
With 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, the Bryer that is so sweet;
Goe, get thee home into Lancashire, and milke thy Mother's Neat."
She blushing said, " Sir, I thanke you heartily, for this your counsell
kinde,
But in this field I had rather die with cold and hunger pinde,
Than to my Kin be made a jest for going thus astray."
" Sweet heart," quoth I, " set your heart at rest, and list what I
shall say. With 0 the Bryer, etc. 132
" Goe home unto your friends, faire Lasse, tell them that your good man
I' tb' Swedish warres late killed was, none there disprove you can:
This is the way which commonly is done, and when that you are layd,
You'l soone be match'd with a Yeoman's son, and an honest wife be
made. With 0 the Bryer" etc.
She promised me my counsell to imbrace, and seemed in minde content;
She wipt the tears quite from her face, and to Totnam Court she went.
On her some Cakes and Ale I did bestow, then she no longer tarried,
But home to Lancashire she did goe, where since I heare she's married.
With 0 the Bryer, the bony bony Bryer, the Bryer that is so sweet;
Now is the Lasse in Lancashire, and milkes her Mother's Mate.
M[artin] P[arker].
Jim's.
Printed at London for F[rancis~\ G[rove~] on Snow-hill.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts : the 1st and 2nd are on p. 165 ; the 3rd is a
framed full-length of a Jesuit, his right hand holding a rosary, in his left a
four-peaked cap ; 4th, a woman, temp. Jacobi I., on p. 175. Date, circa 1634.]
V* The tune named, The bonny bonny Broome, has been mentioned {Roxb.
Ballads, ii. 503), in connection with "Slippery Will; or, the Old Batchelor's
Complaint," with reference to Popular Music, pp. 460, 461. Mr. Wm. ChappelL
had (in Roxb. Bds.,\. 587) annotated the English version of The Broom of Cow den
Knowes, entitled, "The Lovely Northern Lasse " (transferred to J. Wright, etc.,
16 July, 1634), sung to the tune of The bonny Broome, of date 1621 or earlier,
with a burden which Martin Parker plainly imitated in our " Bonny Bryer " : —
Through Liddersdale, as lately I went, I musing on did passe,
I heard a Maid was discontent, she sigh'd and said, " Alas !
All Maids that ever deceived ivas, beare a part of these my woes,
For once I was a bonny Lasse, when I millet my Daddy e's Eives.
With 0 ! the broome, the bonny broome, the broome of the Cowden Knowes,
Faine would I be in the North Gountrey, to milk my daddye's Ewes."
168
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 367; Euing, 259; Jersey, II. 249.]
JJ?orti)ern Basse's JUmentation ;
%T)t QHngappp ^atti'a sptgfottune*
Since she did from her friends depart,
No earthly thing can cheer her heart ;
But still she doth her case lament.
Being always fill'd with discontent.
Resolving to do nought but mourn,
Till to the North she doth return.
To the Tune, Iwouldlwere in my own Country. [See p. 170.] With Allowance.
ANorth-Countrey Lass up to London did pass,
Although with her nature it did not agree,
"Which made her repent and so often lament,
Still wishing again in the North for to be.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
Both flourish at home in my own Country.
Fain would I be in the North Country,
Where the ladds and the lasses are making of hay,
There should I see what is pleasant to me
A mischief light on them intic'd me away.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
Doth flourish most bravely in our Country.
12
The Northern Lasse's Lamentation. 169
Since that I came forth of the pleasant North,
Ther's nothing delightful I see doth abound,
They never can be half so merry as we,
When we are a dancing of Bellinger's round. {Note, p. 170.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
Both flourish at home in our oivn Country. 18
I like not the Court, nor the City resort,
Since there is no fancy for such maids as me,
Their pomp and their pride I can never abide,
Because with my humour it doth not agree.
0 the Oak, the Ash, the bonny Ivy Tree,
Doth flourish at home in my own Country. 24
How oft have I been on the Westmorland green,
Where the young men and maidens resort for to play,
Where we with delight from morning till night
Could feast it and frollick on each Holliday.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
They flourish most bravely in our Country. 30
A milking to go, all the Maids on a row,
It was a fine sight and pleasant to see ;
But here in the City they are void of pitty,
There is no enjoyment of liberty.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
They flourish most bravely in our Country. 36
When I had the heart from my friends to depart,
I thought I should be a Lady at last ;
But now I do find that it troubles my mind,
Because that my joyes and my pleasure is past.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
They flourish at home [in my ow?i Country]. 42
The yows and the lambs, with the kidds and their damms,
To see in the Country how finely they play ;
The bells they do ring, and the birds they do sing,
And the fields and the gardens so pleasant and gay.
0 the Oak, and the Ash, and the bonny Ivy Tree,
They flourish most bravely in our Country. 48
At Wakes and at Fairs, being void of all cares,
We there with our Lovers did use for to dance ;
Then hard hap had I my ill fortune to try,
And so up to London my steps to advance.
0 the Oak, the Ash, and, the bonny Ivy Tree,
They [flourish at home in my own Country]. 54
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172 The Northern Lad ; or, The Fair Maid's Choice.
But I repell'd his rude address, and told him 'twas my greatest cares,
If wa'd a lowsie A-Snip, alas ! when he's incens'd should keep my ears.
But to bed to me, to bed to me, the man that comes to bed to me,
A.n honest Plowman must he be, the Lad that is embrae'd by me.
A Baker next, who called me cozen, did beg for one salute of me,
Presenting straight French Koals a dozen, hut's neck was warp'd with pdlory :
Oh ! to bed to me, etc.
And then a Miller, Avho for cogging, for thieving and such like with 's bowl,
Upon his Horse came softly jogging, who lighting straight demanded Tole.
But to bed to me, etc. 96
He told me I was his by right, whereat I smil'd disdainfully ;
4 Your [mill-]stones,' said 1, ' are ruin'd quite, therefore expect no more of me.'
But to bed to me, etc.
A Plowman is the jovial Lad, who still despises grief and care,
With him content and pleasure's had, with him a Eustick life I'le share :
\_Oh ! to bed to me, to bed to me,~\ ' Tis he shall come to bed to me, etc.
I'se grasp him in my arms all night, and when the shades shall disappear,
In pleasing Groves we'll take delight, and with sweet Songs each other chear.
Oh ! to bed to me, etc.
Come, my dear, when Nelly calls, 0 let us in this shady grove
Row venture on what e're befalls, and quench the passion of my Love :
Oh ! to bed to me, to bed to me, when thou art come to bed to me,
Sow happy then will Nelly be, when thou art come to bed to She. jftnig*
[In Black-letter. Colophon lost : Huth's and Jersey's ' Printed for P. Broohsby.'
Three woodcuts. 1st, the feminine representative of "Winter, p. 239, left;
2nd, man, vi. 20o, right ; 3rd, man, on p. 31, but reversed. Date, circa 1672.
Later we add " There was a Lass in Cumberland "— •' Cumberland Nelly.7]
[This cut bclouys to " Cupid's Wanton Wiles,77 on p. 101, ante.]
173
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 161 ; Wood's, E. 25, art. 62; Jersey, I. 188;
Rawlinson, 93].
Ci)e iftcfele 5I5ortl)ern 3U0£ ;
or, %ty Mrongeo %>f)tpf)tttf& Evolution*
He thought himself the jolliest of the crew,
Whilst that his Love remained firm and true ;
But she, false Maid, did prove to him disloyal,
And was not constant to abide the tryal ;
"Which made him to resolve thus in his mind
Never to trust no more to Women-kind.
Tune of [its own], There was a Lass in the North- Country, etc.
THere was a Lass in the North. Country,
And she had Lovers two or three ;
But she unkindly dealt by one,
Who had to her great favour shown ;
"Which made him thus for to complain,
" I never will see my love again :
For since that she hath changed her mind,
Fie trust no more to icomen-kind.
" I gave her ribbons for to wear,
And now and then a pair of gloves ;
But she unkindly dealt by me,
And gave them to her other Loves :
But now in the Country will I hie,
And for to seek a new victory.
For since that she hath changed her mind, 16
I'le trust no more to women-hind.
u Sometimes she vow'd she did me love,
And I was apt for to believe ;
But all her flattering words did prove,
No more than baits for to deceive,
As I do find it to my pain ;
Therefore I'le never believe again :
For since that she hath changed her mind,
Fie trust no more to women-hind.
" As she was fair, had she been true,
I should have had no cause to rue ;
But she was fickle in her mind,
Subject to waver with the wind :
With each new face that she did see,
She presently in love would be.
And since that she hath changed her mind,
Fie trust no more to icomen-kind. 32
174 The Fickle Northern Lass.
'•* I raust confess that in my eye
She was a pearl I valued high ;
But what is beauty, without grace,
Or one where Vertue hath no place ?
Her false alluring smiles no more
Shall draw my senses out of door.
For since that she hath changed her mind,
Fie trust no more to women-kind.
" I gave her heart, I gave her hand,
And all I had at her command ;
She could not ask what she would have,
But presently the same I gave :
Yet all my favours prov'd in vain,
For she would not requite my pain. Then since, etc. 48
" When I did think her most secure,
Another did her mind allure,
And by some crafty wiles she went,
To undermine my sweet content :
So that I now repent the day,
That e're I cast my love away. For since, etc.
" But now my resolution's such,
To suffer for my loving much ;
All women's company I'le shun,
For fear I further be undone :
And go where none hath power to know
The subject of my grief and woe. For since, etc. 64
" And in some dark and dismal [grove], o^, 'place.'
There will I build myself a Cave,
And in some low and barren ground,
Where none but Shepherds can be found,
Tie find a place for to bewail
My sorrows, which doth me assail. For since, etc.
" Some shady Desart I will chuse,
Which other mortals all refuse,
And on the trees her name I'le carve,
That doth from me so ill deserve ;
That future ages all may know
What love to her I once did owe. And since, etc. 80
" The purling streams with me shall mourn,
And leaves relenting all shall turn ;
The wood-nymphs who my plaints do hear
Shall now and then afford a tear :
All blaming her for cruelty,
That brought me to this misery. And since, etc.
Editorial Note on the distribution of Woodcuts. 175
" And when my time is drawing nigh,
I will prepare my self to dj-e ;
The Robin Red-Breasts kind will be,
Perhaps, with leaves to cover me :
Then to the world I'le bid adieu,
And unto her that prov'd untrue :
For since that she hath changed her mind,
Young -men beware of Women-kind." 96
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, and J. Clarice.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, the couple in a forest, p. 228 ; 2nd,
vi. 40, right ; 3rd, iii. 527, right. Date, circa 1672-1681.]
*x* Our woodcuts, and our Notes on tunes and varying tune-names, have
sometimes to wander apart from their proper localities, in order to save space.
A magnificent prodigality reigned in earlier days, consule Blanco, throughout the
commencing volumes, which allowed the self-same cuts to reappear unchecked in
tenfold repetition, with half-pp. blank. " C est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la
guerre !" It resembled Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadian " Shepherd's boy piping, as
though he should never be old," but the hard necessities of life awaken us betimes.
In vol. i. were only 116 Roxburghe Ballads; in vol. ii. 125; 66 more (of the
158 contained in vol. iii.) completed the original first volume of the Roxburghe
Collection, which numbered 307 ballads. (The total of complete ballads in these
3 vols., under Mr. Wm. Chappell's care,
amounted to 399 ; of which 92 belonged
to Roxb. Coll., Vol. II.) The present
Editor in this final vol. vii. must now
include nearly as many ballads as had
filled the earliest three. — Q.E.D.
[He belongs to pp. 112, 161, ' A Fairing ; ' She to p. 167, ' The Bonny Bryer:~\
176
[Roxb. Coll., II. 460 and 467 ; Jersey, III. 79 ; Wood's, E. 25, fol. 42.]
C&e Ctuc Letters' Fictotp;
©r, QLfyz Northern Couple arcrceo.
"With sugred words and smiling looks
He did [so] charm her sences,
That she did yield unto his Love
For all her late pretences !
To A rare Northern Tune, Or, Jennie's Cog-ivheel. [See p. 177-]
A Bonny blith Lad in the North Countrey,
Whom Cupid had wounded most craftily,
He met with his Love, and he told her his mind,
And thus he did greet her with words so kind :
" Come sit thee down by me, mine own sweet joy,
Thou wilt quite kill me if thou prove coy ;
Should' st thou prove coy, and not love me,
Where shall I find such a one as thee ?
" I have been at Wakes, and I have been at Fa[i]res,
Yet ne'r could I meet one that with thee compares ;
Far have I travel'd, yet never could find
One I lov'd like thee, if thou prove so kind.
" Thou shalt have a gay gown of the best,
With gay fine buskins thy feet shall be drest ;
With c[h]nplets of Roses thy head shall be crowned,
And thy pink petticoat shall he lae'd round.
' ' When thou art drest in thy robes so gay,
Thou shalt be seen like the Queen of May ;
The bonny youns; Lasses that lives by thee
Shall all take delight in thy company.
"We will go early to the brook side,
And catch [the] fishes as they do glide :
Every little fish thy prisoner shall be,
Thou shalt catch them, and I'le catch thee.
[Son// begins
here.
16
32
48
The True Lovers' Victory. 177
" The Birds in the grove shall come at thy beck,
And from thy lilly- white hands they shall peck ;
And whilst with their notes about thee they play,
I will sing [to] thee a Bouudelay.
" Now let me kiss thy cherry lips fair,
And praise all thy features that are so rare ;
Thy forehead is high and lofty doth rise,
Thy sweet ruby lips and thy pretty black eyes. 64
" ITe lye b[es]y[de] thee all the cold night,
Thou 'st want nothing for thy delight ;
Thou shalt have anything, thou shalt have me :
Surely I have something that will please thee."
She hearing her Lover thus kindly complain,
From making him answer she could not refrain ;
She gave him her hand, with a low curtesie,
And thus she replyed, " I'le have none but thee ! 80
" Thy bonny fair face, and thy -words so sweet,
Did conquer my heart when we first did meet ;
Ther's never a Lad in the North Countrey
Shall ever have my favor but only thee !
" Then let us gang to the Kirk now with speed,
For why ? I think long till we do the deed :
Since I may have any thing, I will have thee,
Because thou hast something that will please me ! " 96
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clarke.
[In Black-letter, with one woodcut, which is the reverse of ours on p. 176.
Date, circa 1672, or at latest, 1681.]
*#* This " True Lovers' Victory ' ' appears to be a broadside elongation of
" The New Scotch Song " printed in the second part of Westminster- Drollery,
p. 4, 1672, there beginning with " Sit tha' do'on be me, mine awn sweet joy ;
Thouse quite kill me suedst thou prove coy," etc. : compare our second stanza,
" Come sit thee down by me, mine own sweet joy," etc. Yet the Drollery song
is so inferior, with its execrable Anglo-Scotch, its most villainous spelling-
deformity to imitate the supposititious pronunciation of Northern speech, that a
lingering suspicion of the harmless broadside ballad being the original, spoilt
in imitation when cut down to a song, is not wholly untenable. The Drollery
" Answer to the Scotch Song, and to that tune," beginning " Sibby cryes 'To
the wood coom follow me ! ' " has no resemblance to our Scotch maiden's answer.
Of the ballad, therefore, stanzas 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 are unrepresented in the
song. Her final line is from a suggestion at end of his address, ninth stanza.
We know not the original Jenny's Cog-wheel, which was probably of
eccentric movement and involved construction. It is left to the Muck-Dougall,
as belonging to his locality. Whosoever was the composer, unknown, the music is
in Plavford's Choice Ayres, i. 76, 1679 (without "Sibby cries," etc.); and a
broadside version of "Sit tha down be me" is Kawlinson Coll., -566, fol. 110.
Words in Wit and Mirth, p. 275, 1691 ; p. 215, 1699. Not repeated in Pills,
edition 1719. Henry Bold's third canton, p. 13, of Latine Songs, 1685, is an
adaptation, beginning, ' Mihi sis Assedo {melleum Cor), Si dura fas, Emorior,1
etc. A fifth stanza (not in Westm. D.) is given by Playford : — " What man we
do when scrip is fro ? Weez gang to the House at the Hill broo ; And there weez
fray and eat the fish ; But 'tis thy Flesh makes the best dish." Cannibalistic
Papuans like the diet : around the social fire they sing " Let the toast, let th°,
Toast be dear Woman ! and three cheers for the Girl that we love " (done brown).
VOL. VII. n
178
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 455 ; Euing, 349.]
Cbe Crappan'D Vk#in;
@r, cjooti lobice to fflafacns, tfjat tfycg mag not be brafon into
Pr[el]fmtnargt0 bg [any of] trje specious Pretences of trjet'r seemmrj.
Amorists, hrijo pairing once obtain'*) Itjcir EJEills, leabe ant) forsake
tfjeir betrag'o fHistresses.
Take ray Advice while you are free, and Young-men do not trust ;
They promise fa[i]re as fa[i]re can he, but mean what is unjust.
Tune, When Busie Fame. [See vol. vi. p. 102]
OOme mourn with me, you Ladies all, whom young men have betrayed ;
I was belov'd of great and small, and thought a virtuous maid :
At length a Young-man to me came, and he did me much wrong,
For he betray'd a harmless Maid with his deluding tongue.
Such vows and protestations he did to me often use, [ = made me
"With sighs and sobs that pittyed me, so that I could not chuse pitiful.
But condescen'd to his desire, by which I'me ruin'd quite,
In a hapless hour he crop't the flower wherein I took delight. 16
My Virgin's name I must disown, which grieves me to the heart ;
And since my maiden-head is flown, I feele such deadly smart,
That makes me oft desire to dye, to be freed from that shame
All will bestow on me, I know, who ever hear the same.
But this may somewhat me excuse, which brings me some content,
Obstinately I did Refuse, and would not give consent,
Till he did vow and swear to me he would make me his "Wife ;
But now I find he hath chang'd his mind, I am weary of my life. 32
And he from me is fled and gone, a false and perjur'd wretch ;
"Whilst by my self I make my moan, and many a sigh do fetch :
But 'tis in vain I plainly find, since nothing will availe,
"Why should I sigh away my life, unless I could prevail ?
Take warning by me, Maidens fair, and do not be Trappan'd ;
To their pretences give no ear, for, if they understand
You'r of a gentle nature [grown], and begin to them to yield,
They'l flatter on till you'r undone, and they have won the Field. 48
"When they have got what they desire, their passion 's at an end,
They'l coole that seeming fervent fire, and you shall lose your friend ;
But keep them at a distance, and you'l find them stoop amain :
So you may be from dangers free, and need not to complain.
Such good Advice I once did want, which makes me now lament,
And when too late I think upon 't, it breeds such discontent,
That 1 do wish ten thousand times I had his suit deny'd,
"Who now I find doth prove unkind, and me hath terrified ! 64
False-hearted men, where e're you be, think not for to escape ;
For what you ^ain by Treachery is next kinn to a rape,
And will in time requited be with some most just reward :
Hereafter, then, prove honest men, and faithful to your word.
Printed for F. Cole[s], T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clark, W. Thackery, and
T. Passenger.
[In Black-letter. "Woodcut, the reverse of one on p. 176. Date, before 1682.]
Audi alteram partem .' A vile seducer speaks, self-convicted, on pp. 179-181.
179
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 548 ; Jersey, I. 282, 344 ; II. 2 ; Pepys, III. 23 ;
Douce, II. 262 ; C. 22. e. 2, fol. 26.]
X goung ffl9an put to J)te S>t)tft£ ;
%ty Kantmg goung ^an'0 Krgohmom "
Wherein is showd how young "Wenches he doth please,
And of their heavy burdens he doth them ease ;
With cunning tricks he their fancies up doth feed,
And they him relieve when he doth stand in need.
To the Tune [its own] of, Cupid's Trappan. [See Note, p. 181.]
[Tins cut btlottys to the ' George Stoole' ballad on p. 68.]
OF late did I hear a young damsel complain,
And rail much against a young man,
His cause and his state, I'le now vindicate,
And hold battle with Cupid's trappan, brave boys !
And hold [battle with Cupid's trappan].
180 A Young Man pat to his Shifts.
Surely she thinks I am stark mad,
To wed every Girl I do see ;
No, let her stay a while, for I can make a fool
Of twenty far better than she, brave boys ! Of twenty, etc.
For if I court a Maid, she shall get nothing by 't ;
For so soon as her money is gone,
And I have got her rings, and other fine things,
Then the Divel may take her for John, brave boys. Then the, etc.
I can give them fair words, but little good deeds,
Any girl of me [this] shall find,
And if I see she will do't, then I put her to 't,
But strait I can turn ivith the wind, brave boys. But strait, etc.
He's but a fool that will fawn of a Maid, 21
Although she seem never so coy ;
Make though you'd be gon[e], she'l bid you come on,
If you tell her you'' I yet her a boy, brave boys. If you, etc.
But if she don't find thou can'st stir up her blood,
She will laugh and jear thee to thy face ;
But if she perceives thou can'st do her some good,
Then thy body she strait will unbrace, brave boys. Then thy, etc.
As for my own part, I value it not a pin,
I care not what Girl doth it know,
But the coyest lass I can easily win,
And briny her unto my own bow, brave boys. And briny, etc.
I drink off the best, and live at heart's ease,
For Money I take little care ;
I can hum[ou]r young wenches, and have what I please,
Be it never so fine and so rare, brave boys. Be it, etc.
I Count him a noddy that can't win a Maid, 41
To buckle, to bow, and to bend ;
And, if he stands in need, to do a good deed,
And to give him some money in hand, brave boys. And to, etc.
Tho' maidens do seem coy on it, they long till they ha't,
Either Mary, Sue, Bridget or Nan :
If they were put to [own] their choice, for to lye alone,
They had rather to lye with a Man, brave boys ! They had, etc.
For dayly and hourely full often it is seen
"What [sort of] Maiden 'tis will lye alone :
If she han't a husband when she is fifteen,
She thinks she shall never have none, brave boys ! She thinks, etc.
So it doth [soon] appear how hasty they are
The fruits of love for to tast[e] :
It makes their great belly the truth for to tell ye
They've been clipping a man about 'h ivast\_e~], brave boys. They, etc.
A Young Man put to his Shifts. 181
There's choice of young Damsels I have at command, 61
That with mon[e]y my pockets both fe[ed].
And if I want a bout, they will not stand out,
To help a good turn in my need, brave boys ! To help, etc.
If I cheat a young damsel, the fault's none of mine,
To her self she better may look ;
For I'le lay my bait, by day or [by] night,
Be sure I take her of my hook, brave boys ! Be sure, etc.
And when I ha' caught her, be sure she's my own,
For a little we two do imbrace ;
But before we go to church, I leave her i' th' lurch,
Thus I cheat her unto her own face, brave boys ! Thus I, etc.
I'le never be bound when I may live free,
Nor I'le never be tied to a wife,
Their's sope, fire and candle, a child for to dandle,
Which makes a man weary on's life, brave boys ! Which, etc.
So I get but the child, let who will it keep, 81
For my part I do mean to keep none ;
So I have but the sport, let them provide for 't,
For so soon as I've done I am gone, brave boys ! For so, etc.
For if I should keep all the Children I get,
I should have a great many lives ;
I will take a halter and cut my own throat,
Before I'le have so many wives, [brave boys /] Before, etc.
For Gentleman-like I live as I be,
And am free from care and sorrow ;
If never a penny I have over-night,
Be sure I have some the next morrow, brave boys. Be sure, etc.
So young men I'le leave you : make use of your time,
For so long as my co[un]s[el] doth hold,
I am sure of this, let it hit or miss,
/ shall want neither Silver nor Gold, brave boys,
I shall want neither silver nor gold. 100
london, Printed for W. Thackeray, T. Passenger, and W. Whitwood.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, the lady, vi. 288, left; 2nd, the
amorous gallant, vi. 78, right; 3rd, couple, iv. 15. Date, circa 1670.]
*** This young scapegrace befittingly illustrates the evil results of such
principles as are announced in "The New Way of Marriage" (p. 158). We
have already (in vol. vi. pp. 525 and 531) told the history and sequence of the
" Cupid's Trappan" series of ballads. This one was delayed, and the original
is given later, " The Willow changed into Carnation," with " The Willow Green "
(Roxb. Coll. ,11 1. 132). Next ballad has the same tune, Bonny bonny Bird. The
two burdens, contrasting what ' went well' and ' went ilV (lines 10, 15, 40, 100),
coincide with Westminster-Drollery, ii. 54, 1672, " I went to the Tavern, and
then," etc.
182
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 100. Apparently Unique.]
€&c Patient ipustmnti ann tbe ^coultung; COtfe.
£ homing horn he both complain of barb fortune, fjc hab to martg
suclj a cross^grain'b ©uean as ssfje mas, anb he mishes all goung
men to be abbiscb to look before then leap.
You Batchellors where ere you be,
This Counsell here now take of me,
( huse not a wife that's too precise,
For fear she should pluck out your eyes.
To the Tune of, [Once did I love a] Bonny, bonny bird. [See p. 181.]
[This cut shows the ill-usage of Patient-Husbands by Scolding Wives : seep. 184.]
LI you gallants in City or Town,
Come listen a while to my song,
To you I'le relate with seeking a mate,
flow that I my self 'a done ivrohg, brave boys !
How that I my self ''a done wrong.
A]
"When as I was single as some of you be,
I was beloved like other young men ;
I liv'd at my ease, and I did what I please ;
And the world it went ivell loith me then, brave boys !
And the world it icent well with me then.
I could kiss a young Maid, and she'd never seem coy,
And sometimes she would kiss me again ;
And perhaps at the last I could get her a boy,
Oh the world it went well with me then [brave boys'], etc.
10
Thv Patient Husband and Scolding Wife. 183
Thus bravely I liv'd without any controul,
And had silver good store lying by ;
I could sing and be merry, drink white-wine and sherry,
Then who but sweet "William and I [brave boys], etc. 20
Yet I could not be content, but a wooing I'd go,
To get me a Wife of my own ;
I got one at the last, but she proves a shrew,
And set horns where there never was none, brave boys, etc.
I married in hast[e], but at leasure repent,
I would be so fool'd by a wife ;
She'l pout and she'l lower, she'l frown and look sower,
Then I dare not stir for my life, brave boys : Then, etc. 30
"When I went to Church, I was led by two Maids,
And the musick did play gallantly ;
My Wife she did dance, and her spirits advance,
And she slcipt up and down like a fly, brave boys. And she, etc.
But e're we'd been married one month to an end,
To search my Pockets she strait ways began,
She took me by the ears, and she sent me to fears,
Oh, the world it went ill with me then, etc. [see Note, p. 181.
She turn'd me about, and she gave me a rost,
Such a one as I ne're had before,
Her hands were so quick, my sides she did lick,
And did beat me till I did roar, etc.
The more I did pray y1 these storms they might cease,
The longer I think they did rise ;
The more I did pray that we might live in peace,
The more mischief she still devise, etc. 50
If that in an Ale-house I chance for to pop,
Then presently comes all my fears ;
I'm sure to have blows, also bitter Oaths,
If I be not wrung by the ears, etc.
One day we'd a bout, and I held her too't,
Till with the Ladle she broke all my nose ; tSee pp- 20- 188-
Nay, worse then all this, my self I be[m]ist,
And in truth I befowVd both my hose, etc. 60
Surely ther's no man that liveth on earth
That hath such a cross wife as she ;
"Which makes me to swear : " Young men have a care ! "
For the case it is altered with me, etc.
Thrice happy is he that hath a good wife ;
But far better's that young man
That settels him self to live a single life,
Then would I teas unmarried again, etc. 70
184
The Patient Husband and Scolding Wife.
For those ladys are so false a man can't them trust,
And so much they are given to lies,
If a man he don't please them at every turn,
Then they'r ready to pluck old his eyes, etc.
They'l kick, fling, and throw, they'l fret and they'l frown,
As if they was going mad you wou'd swear ;
And some Girls on their bellies more means will consume
In one week then they' 'I get in a year, etc. 80
Therefore honest young men had need to beware,
(For my part my own ruine I've brought),
And of flattering Damsels to have a great care :
For ' wit's never good till 'tis bought,'' etc.
For now by experience I plainly do find
What troubles some men do uphoor'd :
[He] that hath a cross wife, he's ne're sure of his life,
To live quiet in bed nor at board, etc. 90
If she ha'n't her humour in everything,
Then his head with the ladle she'l greet ;
And at night, I suppose, if be don't jostle close,
Then she'l kick him out at the bed's feet, etc.
So Batchellors all, now my leave I'le take,
This counsell is good for all honest young men ;
If I was shut of this quean, you know what I mean, [Note.
Oh, the ivorld ivoidd go well with me then, brave boys,
Oh the ivorld ivould go well with me then. 100
Printed for W. Thackeray, at the Golden Sugar-Loaf, in Buck-Lane.
[In Black-letter, with three woodcuts. 1st and 2nd, as in vi. 195 left, and vi.
163 right: the 3rd is below. Date, 1660-80, probably circa 1673.]
' To be Shut of still lingers provincially = clear or free of a thing. On p. 182
an extra cut is given, the first figure represents a humiliated ' hen-pecked frigate '
of a husband riding reverse-way at a Skimming ton festival, called Hiding the
Stai/g (for description of which see Eudibras, part ii. canto 2, 1663). The gang
of women evilly-entreats another Husband, one who has been too liberal with his
talent outside his household. (See pp. 194-196 for an account of Horn-Fair.)
185
[Roxb. Collection, II. 534 ; Pepys, IV. 100 ; Euing, 397, 398 ; Jersey, I. 268.]
Ci)e Ottoman to tyt jMoto,
0no tf)t span to tgc ^emHoogt ;
£>r, a fine toap to tut* a Cot^uetm [P. m.
The Tune is, I have for all good wives a Song. [See p. 187.1
BOth Men and Women, listen well,
A merry jest I will you tell,
Betwixt a Good-man and his Wife,
Who fell the other day at strife :
He chid her for her Huswivery,
And she found fault as well as he
With him for's work without the doors,
Quoth he, " A pox on all such whores ! ial- lect-, 'scores.'
Sith you and I cannot agree,
Let's change our work ! " " Content ! " quoth she,
" My Wheel and Distaffe here take thou,
And I will drive the Cart and Plow." 12
This was concluded 'twixt them both,
To cart and plow the good-wife goeth.
The Goodman he at home doth tarry,
To see that nothing doth miscarry;
An apron he before him put,
Judge, was not this a hansome slut ?
He fleets the milk, he makes the chese, [skims milk.
He gropes the hens, the ducks and geese : lsr- for esss-
He brews and bakes as well as he can,
But not as it should be done, poor man!
As [he] did make his cheese one day,
Two pigs their bellies broke with whey. 24
Nothing that he in hand did take
Hid come to good ; once he did bake,
And burnt the bread as black as a stock ;
Another time he went to rock
The cradle, and threw the child o' th' floor,
And broke his nose, and hurt it sore.
He went to milk, one evening tide,
A skittish Cow on the wrong side ;
His pail was full of milk, God wot,
She kickt and spilt it every jot ;
Besides, she hit him a blost o' th' face
Which was scant well in six weeks' space. 36
186 Woman to the Plow, Man to Hen-roost.
Thus was lie served, and yet to[o] well,
And more mischances yet befell ;
Before his apron he'd leave off,
Though all his neighbours did him scoff.
Now list and mark one pretty jest,
'Twill make you laugh above all the rest,
As he to churn his butter went,
One morning with a good intent,
The Cot-quean fool did surely dream, [Molly-coddle.
For he had quite forgot the cream.
He churn'd all day, with all his might,
And yet he could get no butter at night. 48
V PWere strange, indeed, for me to utter
JL That without creame he should make butter.
Row baving shew'd his huswivery,
"Who did all things thus untowardly,
Unto the Good-wife I'le turn my rhime,
And tell you how she spent her time.
She us'd to drive the cart and plow,
But do't well she knew not how,
She made so many banks i' th' ground, f?"- batdks.
He [had] been better to have given five pound
That she had never ta'ne in hand,
So sorely she did spoil the land. 60
As she did go to Sow likewise,
She made a feast for crows and pies,
She threw away a han'ful at a place,
And left all bare another space.
At the Harrow she could not rule the Mare,
But did one land, and left two bare.
And shortly after, one a day, [°n a day*
As she came home with a load of hay,
She overthrew it, nay and worse,
She broke the cart and kill'd a horse.
The good-man that time had ill luck,
He let in the sow and [she] kill'd a duck, 72
And being grieved at his heart,
For loss on's duck, his horse and cart,
The many hurts on both sides done,
His eyes did with salt water run :
" Then now," quoth he, "full well I see,
The Wheel's for her, the Plow's for me.
I thee intreat," quoth he, " good-wife,
To take thy Charge, and, all my life,
I'le never meddle with huswivery more,
Nor find such faults as I did before. 84
Woman to the Plow, Man to Hen-roost. 187
Give me the cart-whip and the frail,
Take thou the churn and milking pail." 96
The Good wife she was well content,
And about her huswivery she went.
He to hedging and to ditching,
Heaping, mowing, lading, pitching,
He would be twatling still before, iLe- prating
Uut after that ne'r twattled more.
I wish all Wives that troubled be,
"With Hose-and-doublet Huswivery,
To serve them as this woman did.
Then may they work and ne'r be chid :
Though she i' th' int'rim had some loss,
Thereby she was eased of a Cross. 108
Take heed of this, you Husband-men,
Let "Wives alone to grope the hen,
And meddle you with the horse and ox,
And keep your lambs safe from the fox.
So shall you live Contented lives,
And take sweet pleasure in your Wives.
Jtnts. [Probably by Martin Parker.
Printed for J. Wright, J. Clarice, W. Thackeraxj, and T. Passinger.
[This agrees with the Pepys' exemplar and second Ening ; Euing 397 was the
original, entered, 22 June, 1629, " printed for F. Grove, dwelling on Snow-hill."
In Black-letter, with four cuts. 1st and 2nd on p. 140; 3rd, p. 163, left;
4th, p. 166, right. Printed without division into stanzas. Date, 1629.]
*#* The tune, ' I have for all good wives a song,'' is so named from the first
line of a ballad (transferred, 1st June, 1629), entitled, " A Merry Dialogue betwixt
a married man and his wife, concerning the affaires of this lyfe," reprinted in
Eoxhurghe Ballads, ii. 159 : one probably written by Martin Parker, whose
initials of M.P. are attached to another ballad, "Man's Felicity and Misery,
which is a Good Wife and a Bad," sung to the self-same tune as this, beginning,
" Kind Couzen David, prithee stay ! " and reprinted in the same volume, ii. p. 183.
Mr. Win. Chappell thereupon remarked that " Martin Parker would more prob-
ably select his own ballads than those of his contemporaries to give names to
tunes; " we might also guess, by parity of reasoning, that the present ballad
was written by Martin Parker : a theory by no means improbable.
In principle and story it agrees with the early Scottish ballad of ' The Wyfe
of Auchtermuchty ' in the Bannantyne MS., signed " Mofat " = Sir John Moffatt
(reprinted in Allan Ramsay's Evergreen, i. 137, 1724, and elsewhere), " In
Auchtirmuchty their dwelt ane man, ane husband, as I hard it tauld," etc.,
whence Allan Cunningham constructed his modern ditty, popular in the North,
" John Grumlie swore by the light o' the moon, and the green leaves on the
tree; That he could do more work in a day than his wife could do in three."
(See A. C.'s Songs of Scotland, ii. 123, 1825. He pretended to have taken it,
as a Nithsdale song, from the recitation of George Duff, of Dumfries.) In
Wright and Halliwell's Reliquim Antique, ii. 196, 1843, is the earliest part or
fytte of an English " Ballad of a Tyrannical Husband," still more ancient, temp.
Henri. VII. Compare also the Silva Sermonum jocundissimorum, circu 1568.
188
[Roxb. C, II. 576 ; Pepys, IV. 143 ; Rawl., 12 ; "Wood, E. 25, 68 ; C. 22, 66 ; Jer.]
®®p GMifz ttrill tic mp paster;
©r, trje fHarrtc^fHan's (Complaint against fjt'g mnrulrj ®Kife,
being a Earning for all Unmarrieto persons to ijaue a special care
in crjoosinrj tljct'r iHaifce, lest tljcg meet rottlj such, a £Hgre=sn2pe
as tj)ts poor=man tuU
To the Tune of, A Taylour is no Man. [See p. 189.]
o wi RogUe JpenJihyMcmy
AS I was walking forth of late, I heard a man complaining :
With that 1 drew me near to him. to know the cause and meaning
Of this his sorrow, pain and grief, which bred him such disaster ;
" Alace ! " quoth he, " what shall I do ? my Wife will be my Master.
" If I should give her fourty pound, within her apron folding,
No longer then she['s] telling on't, her tongue leaves never scolding :
As JEsop's dog barkt at the Moon, [a] thing for to distaste her,
So doth my wife scold without cause, and strives to be my Master.
" Were I so strong as Hercules, or wiser then Apollo ;
Or had I Icarus'' wings to flee, my Wife would after follow :
Should I live as many years as never did King Nestor,
Yet do I greatly stand in fear, my Wife would be my Master.
" I know no cause nor reason why that she with me should jangle,
I never gave her cause at all to make her with me wrangle :
I please her still in what I may, and do no jot distaste her,
Yet she doth strive both night and day ahvayes to be my Master.
16
32
My Wife will be my Master. 189
" I every morning make a fire, all which is done to ease her ;
I <?et a nutmeg, make a To[a]st, in hope therewith to please her ;
"With a cup of nappy Ale and spice, of which she is first taster,
And yet this cross-grain'd quean will scold, and strive to be my Master.
1 ' I wash the dishes, sweep the house, I dress the wholesome dyet ;
I humour her in everything, hecause I would be quyet:
Of every several dish of meat, she'll surely be first taster,
And I am glad to pick the bones, she is so much my Muster. 48
" Sometimes she'l sit while day be light, in company with good fellows,
In taverns and in bowsing Tents, or in some pimping Ale-house : [ = Kens.
And when she comes home drunk at night, though I do not distaste her,
She'l fling, she'l throw, she'l scratch, she'l bite, and strive to be my Master.
" Her bed I made both soft and fine, and put on smock compleatly ;
Her shooes and stockings I pull off, and lay her down most neatly :
I cover her and keep her warm, for fear I should [distaste] her, [' offend.'
I hug her kindly in my arms, yet still she'1 1 be my Master. 64
" And when I am with her in bed, she doth not use me well, Sir ;
She'l wring my nose, and pull my ears, a pitifull tale to tell, Sir.
And when I am with her in bed, not meaning to molest her,
She'l kick me out at her bed's-feet, and so become my Master.
" And thus you hear how cruelly my Wife doth still abuse me,
At bed, at board, at noon, at night, she alwayes doth misuse me :
But if I were a lusty man, and able for to baste her,
Then would I surely use a means, that she should not be my Master. 80
" You Batchelours that sweet-hearts have, when as you are a wooing,
Be sure you look before you leap, for fear of your undoing.
The after-wit is not the best, and he that weds in haste, Sir,
May like to me bewaile his case, if his Wife do prove his Master.
" You Married Men that have good "Wives, I pray you make much [by] them,
For they more precious are than gold, if once you come to try them :
A good Wife makes a Husband glad, then let him not distaste her ;
But a Scold will make a man run mad, if once she prove his Master ! " 96
[But if ever I am a Widdower and another wife do marry,
I mean to keep her poor and bare and the purse I mean to carry.]
jFinfe.
[In uncommonly large Black-letter. Colophon lost. No woodcut : one, described
on p. 164, in later copies, see Contents : " Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J.
Wright, and /. Clark; " Pepys adds W. Thackeray and T. Passenger; also a
burden, which we replace after line 96. Date circa 1610 ; others 1681.]
*#* The tune is marked A Taylor is no Man [_al. led., a Man], A ballad of
1689 (Douce, II. 215 v.), entitled " The Taylor's Vindication ; or, An Answer to
the Warlike Taylor," beginning, " Of late there was a false old Knave," bears the
burden of ' A Taylor is a Man.' (The truth of the assertion had been denied.)
The whole series of ballads on " Tom the Taylor near the Strand, he met a pretty
Creature," testify in his disfavour with ungenerous malignity. (Licensed
12 June, 1684, see Boxb. Coll., II. 263, IV. 27 ; mentioned in Bagford Ballads,
pp. 603, 606.) One begins, " I am a Taylor now in distress" (Roxb Coll., II.
452); another "Taylor's Lamentation" was quoted in vol. vi. p. 300, "I'll
sing a song and a dainty brave song" (different version by J. P. reads, " Come
hear a song, and a very fine song" : "The Trapann'd Taylor; or, A Warning
to all Taylors "). " A Taylor in the Strand, Touch and go ! " is Bawl.' Coll., 92.
190
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 535 ; Eiiing, No. 396 ; Jersey, II. 190.]
Cbe 2Uoman HDuttotttcti ;
©r,
2EIje OHcaijct's flJEtfe runnmglg catrij'ti fit a 2Trap, 00 far f^usbano,
tolja solo ijcr for Etn Pounos, antj sent \)tx to Virginny.
To an Excellent New Tune [called Virginny].
NOt far from hence, there dwelt an honest man, a Weaver,
He had a wife, she was witty and fair, but her wit it did deceive her ;
She was a grain too light, she calls him Fool and Ninny ;
Which made the Man then often say, " I'll go unto Virginny."
Altho' he hard did work, he ne'er could live in quiet ;
She said her cloathing was too base, so was her homely diet ;
Tho' nothing she did want, as he could buy for money,
Which made tbe Man then often say, " Fll go unto Virginny." 16
She lov'd a lusty Lad, and vow'd she'd love him ever,
At last her Husband found a trick these loving mates to sever :
" Your notes," quoth he, " I'll quickly change, that now so sweetly sing ye ; "
Unto a Merchant straight he went that sailed to Virginny :
He coming then unto the ship, " Of women you are lacking,
And I have one that I can spare, and her I will send packing :
The times are very hard, I'll sell my wife for mon[e]y,
She is good merchandize, you know, when you come to Virginny." 32
" If she be young, bring her on board, and I will entertain her;
But tell to me the lowest price, for I must be some gainer."
" Ten pound," he answered, " [sure, that's low !] I cannot bait one penny ;
She is good merchandize, you know, when you come to Virginny."
Then he came home unto his wife, and said that he was packing ;
This joyful news reviv'd her mind, and set her heart a leaping ;
And smiling to herself, she said, " Then farewel, Goodman Ninny,
My Love with me shall merry be, when you are at Virginny." 48
** One thing I do desire of thee, to see me, my dear, take shipping."
" Ay, that I will, my love," said she, and seem'd to fall a weeping ;
" A bottle of Strong-waters good I will bestow upon thee,
For fear that you should be sea-sick a sailing to Virginny."
*#* One of the blackest of many evil deeds by which the ' Great Rebellion '
is characterized, and not denied by its advanced freethought apologists (who
invariably claim lineal descent from Ireton, Pym, and Cromwell ; considerably
mixed, according to their own account ; little credit to their Puritan women-
kind) was the transportation of vanquished Cavaliers and their families to " the
Plantations," in Virginia and the West Indies. It might be worth the trouble,
surely, to tell the story of this cruel and sordid villany, since it is too much the
fashion of late to condone the faults of rebels, of iconoclasts (Savanarola et Cie.)
and puritanic zealots, on the plea that they strove for " Liberty of Conscience,"
forsooth ! They never allowed it to others than themselves. Some lingering
remembrance of what had been the practice in his youth seems to possess the
mind of the unquiet husband, who desires not merely to get rid of his wife, but
to gain an additional bargain by selling her for the Virginia market. Whether,
as in the Belphcgor legend, the lady might not make her new home too hot to
hold her, is an enquiry not needing to be pursued on this side of Styx.
The Woman Outwitted. 191.
Then [when they] come into the ship, the Captain bid them welcome,
He led them into his cabin, whereas such Guests came seldom.
He stepped forth unto her Husband, and paid him down the money,
. "Who straight took boat and row'd on shore, and sent her unto Virginny. 64
But when she saw that he was gone, and that she there was staid,
She bitterly did wail and weep, and said she was betray'd ;
" Take me," said she, " [now back] with you, I'll never more offend thee."
He cry'd, " Farewel, sweet Wife, adieu, God send you to Virginny ! "
Then presently they hoist up sail, and had good wind and weather ;
And seven long weeks they were at sea, before that they came thither ;
He for a maiden sold her there, for fifty pounds in money,
And she another Husband had, when she came to Virginny. 80
They being [happily] parted thus, so many leagues asunder,
He carries mon[e]y in his purse, there's none to keep him under,
But [here he] governs all at home, and with his friends lives merry ;
Now many one doth title him, a Merchant of Virginny.
London : Printed by and for W. 0., and are to be sold by 0. Bates, in Pye-Corner.
[Black-letter. Woodcuts, 1st, a ship, vi. 380 ; 2nd, on p. 103. Date, circa 1685.]
Cge £>coltmtg Sffilife.
" "ITTHat hap had I to marry a Shrow !
VV For she hath given me many a blow,
And how to please her, alack ! I do not know.
" From morn to even her tongue ne'er lies ;
Sometimes she brawls, sometimes she cries ;
Yet I can scarce keep her talents from mine eyes. [ = talons.
" If I go abroad, and late come in,
' Sir Knave,' saith she, ' where have you been ? '
And do I well or ill, she claps me on the skin."
— Pummelia, 1609.
T
HEBE must have been a terrific prevalence of Scolding Wives
in the reign of good King Charles II., if we are to judge by the
large number of ballads devoted to the subject Men turned to the
taverns in search of consolation, if not of peace and quietness.
In nine cases out of ten, says Dervaux, " If a husband absent himself
from home, and becomes too fond of drinking with his friends, it is
because the wife had left him no comfort and peace when he arrived
there. It is perfect nonsense to say, ' she scolds him because he
drinks ! ' She scolded first. She drove him to liquor as a refuge
from her knagging and incessant bad temper." Why was she so
unmannerly and ' curst ' (it is a Shakespearian phrase : see ' Taming
of a Shrew '). Surely, because peevish puritanism had soured any
milk of human kindness in her. Her innate perversity had been
intensified by external formalism ; by theological spitefulness, mis-
called religion. Two "Groups of Good-Eellows," tavern roysters
and improvident spendthrifts, have been given in vol. vi. Now we
come to the other side of the shield, and display the Shrews.
192
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 407 ; Huth, II. 77 ; Douce, II. 189 ; Jersey, I. 109.]
%\>t £>colt)tng WLift.
To A PLEASANT New TuNE.
THere was [a] young-man for lucre of gain,
He lov'd a Widow well ;
His friends did tell him, often and plain,
In scolding she did excel.
" Why that is no matter ! " quoth he,
" So I may have her bags of gold ;
Let her not spare to brawl and scold,
For I'll be as merry as merry may be." 8
This Woodcock wedded his heart's desire,
A Widow with Money enough ;
They was not so soon out of the Quire
E'er she begun to snuff: [=fume.
" Methink you be very fine !
You can no quicker get you hence,
Without such large and great expence,
Of sugared Sops and music to dine ! " 16
They was not all at supper set,
Or at the board sate down,
E'er she began to brawl and scold,
And call'd him a peaking Clown:
That nothing he could doe,
That was pleasing in her sight ;
But still she scolded day and night,
Which made this merry man's heart full of woe. 24
If lie had provided any good cheer
For him and her alone,
Then she wou'd 'a said, with [a saucy jeer],
" You might 'a done this of your own ! "
If sparingly he will be,
Then she would have said with words more hot,
" I will not be pinch'd of what I brought,
But of mine own I will be free."
That nothing he could doe,
That 10 as pleasing in h\_er~] sight,
But still she scolded day and night,
Which made this merry mans heart full of woe. 36
[She greeted him there with shrewish speech,
She wearied him night and day ;] {text, defective.
" 0 God! " in his prayer, he did beseech,
To take his life away.
The Scolding Wife (treated as a Lunatic). 193
A hundred times [t]he [young man] curst
The priest, the clerk, the sexton too,
And tongue that did the Widow wooe,
And legs that brought him [to her] first. 44
It fell out upon a day
That with his friends he did devise
To brake her of her scolding guise,
And what they did [I] shall bewray : ['they... weary.'
They got and ty'd her arms,
She could not them undoe ;
And many other pretty charms
They used her unto. 52
Her petticoat was rent and torn,
Upon her back they did put [it] on ;
They tore her smock-sleeves all along,
As if a Bedlam? she had been born ;
Her hair about her head they shook,
All with a bramble bush ;
They [w]ring her arms in every crook,
Till out the blood did gush. 60
And with an iron chain
Fast by the leg he did her tye,
There within an old dark house [close] by :
So soon he went away again,
And with a countenance so sad,
He did his neighbours call :
Quoth he, " My Wife, [dear Friends,] is mad,
She doth so rave and brawl :
Help, Neighbours, all therefore,
To see if that you can reclaim
My Wife into her wits again,
For she is troubled ivondrous sore.''' 72
Printed for P. Broohsby, at the Golden Ball, in Pye-corner.
[In Black-letter, with four woodcuts. 1st, the long-haired youth, p. 203 right ;
2nd, the girl with peacock, and 4th, lady with fan, p. 120, left ; 3rd, five men
around a table whereon swarm toads and snakes. Date 1672-169-1.]
%* The friends of the young man warned him against the widow. There
had been long-earlier caveats: — "It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than
with a contentious and an angry woman" {Proverbs xxi. 19). " It is better to
dwell in the corner of the house-top, than with a brawling woman and in a wide
house " (Ibid. xxv. 24). The broadside printers made havoc of the metre, and
broke up the stanzas into disorder, by making them eight-lined, instead of twelve.
We risk a few bracketted insertions, but at best the ballad is corrupt and
mutilated, lacking a fitting end. The text has ' words more hot ' (in line 27 :
seemingly misread, from line 30) ; and omits the lines rhyming with ' beseech '
and ' life alwayS Instead of ' they shall be weary,1 we read ' I shall bewray.1
VOL. VII. o
T
194
C6e ^coining ©EJtfe's Oin&icatton.
" Under your patience, gentle Emperess,
'Tis thought you have a goodly gift in Homing.
Jove shield your Husband from his hounds to-day,
'Tis pity they should take him for a Stag."
— Titus Andronicus, Act ii. 3.
HE TUNE of The Cuckold's Complaint, assigned to the following
ballad (which is an Answer to it), resembled the tune of \_Aye~]
Marry and thank you too ! (see pp. 116, 118) or was identical with it.
In so many ballads were Cuckolds uttering ' Complaints ' of
feminine tyranny and unfaithfulness, like poor Antbony in the
Westminster Drollery of 1671, that we fail to indicate with certainty
tbe particular antecedent to the ensuing " Vindication. "
The antecedent was certainly not " The Cuckold's Lamentation
of a Bad Wife " (Roxb. Coll., II. 89, reprinted in Roxb. Ballads,
iii. 635), beginning, " Young Batchelors all, come hear this new
song!" for it is in eight-line stanzas, with a burden of, A man
needs no more sorroiv to shorten his life, When he has such hard fortune
to have a lad wife. Its tunes were, The Country Farmer (see p. 152),
and Why are my eyes still flowing ? (Bagford Ballads, p. 89.)
The concluding threat of the Scold against her husband, " He
shall dig Gravel next Horn-Fair," deserves elaborate comment, for
such allusions are frequent in old literature, and the woodcut
mentioned on our p. 19, and given on p. 196, seems to represent two
men going on this particular employment, with pickaxe and pail.
A unique exemplar remains of a Kentish ballad, beginning, " At
Charlton there was a Fair," and entitled, " Hey for Horn-Fair ; or,
Room for Cuckolds, here comes a company." It was licensed by
Roger L'Estrange, before August, 1685, and printed forC. Dennison,
at the Stationers' Arms within Aldgate. After four columns of
twelve-line stanzas, a letter follows, signed " Thomas Can't-be-Quiet,
beadle." The jest was continued so late as 1830. In one " New
Summons to Horn Fair: to appear at Cuckold's Point on the 18th
of October, and from thence to march to the Gravel Pits to dig gravel,
to make a path for your wives to walk on to Horn-Fair,' the signature
is "John Doo-little, Beadle." This was printed by If. H\_ills~\,
Blackfriars, circa 1720, and contains a song of invitation, beginning,
" Ye Cuckolds that dwell in the City, and likewise the suburbs,
prepare!" To the tune of The City Ramble (see vol. vi. p. 513).
" A New Summons to the Hen-peckt Frigat," printed for Mary
Edwards, in Fleet Street, has a song to the same tune, beginning,
" You Sots that are joined to a woman." Another broadside has
verses commencing, " Advance, ye loving brethren of the Horned
Train/" R. Powell's "General Summons to Horn-Fair," this
The Scolding Wife's Vindication. 195
for Men, appears to have been issued in 1720, with a double
processional woodcut. A Parson leads the way, a Skiminington
couple on horseback follows, the wife in front, the husband behind,
back to back, he looking to the horse's tail. (See woodcut on p. 182.)
A similar sheet was sent out so late as 1830 by T. Batchelor,
115, Long Alley, Moor-fields, London, with verses beginning :
You horned fumbling Cuckolds, in city, court, or town,
You're summon'd here, and must appear, your tine to render down ;
"With pickaxe, spade and shovel, and basket, you must go,
To join each horned brother, Cuckolds all a row, etc. (12 stanzas.)
There was also, for the women, " A New Summons to the Wag-
Tail Jades," with verses, " Come all you merry jades, who love to
play the game," and woodcuts in four compartments, one of a
banquet, women only, ladle in hand to baste their husbands ; the two
lower pictures being a procession. (Compare p. 188.)
Horn-Fair was held at Charlton in Kent (Greenwich, Woolwich,
and Blackheath in its neighbourhood furnishing a contingent of
roystering matrons and swaggering blades), about eight miles from
Town; and on S. Luke's Day, the 18th October, year by year.
St. Luke's festival had been chosen in recognition of his evangelistic
sign of the Ox, with horns. Citations were circulated previously,
after the manner of the " Drucken Summonses for the New Year "
that used to be sold in Auld Eeekie forty years ago, making night
hideous. Genuine names were filled in, by those gifted mortals (a
small minority) who had mastered the alphabet and could do pot-
hooks and hangers. Then the fun commenced, in good humour
and glee. The populace met at Cuckold's Point, otherwise Cuckold's
Haven, near Deptford, and went in procession through Greenwich
to Charlton (as Grose mentions), " with horns of different kinds
upon their heads ; and at the Fair there are sold rams-horns, and
every kind of toy made of horn : even the ginger-bread figures
have horns ! " There was not only a three-fold perambulation
around Charlton Church, but a sermon was preached on the occasion.
The burlesque procession has been discontinued since 1768 (Lysons,
Environs, iv. 325). See Douce Collection, broadsides, ii. 41, etc., and
John Brand's account of Nuptial Usages, Cuckoldom, the Horn, also
the Skimmington (Pop. Antiq. of Great Britain, ii. 122-136, 1870).
The enforced humiliation of a cornuted husband, compelled to
carry a spade and pail to dig gravel, was probably at the notorious
spot' below Botherhithe alias Bedriff, where a cluster of rams'-
horns adorned a wooden post, discernible from the river. Hentzner,
in his Travels in England, 1598, refers to it, thus : —
"Upon taking the air down the river (from London), on the left hand lies
Eatcliffe, a considerable suburb. On the opposite shore is fixed a long pole with
rams-horns upon it, the intention of which was vulgarly said to be a reflection
upon wilful and contented cuckolds."
19G
Horn-Fair, held at Charlton in Kent.
See also F. M. Misson's account of a procession that he had sometimes met in
the streets of London ; a woman carrying a figure of straw, representing a man
crowned with very ample horns, preceded by a drum, and followed by a mob," etc.
(Travels over England, translated by Ozell, p. 258, 1719.) George Hoefnagel's
View of Seville, 1593, is likewise mentioned by Dr. Zachary Gray in his Notes to
Hudibraa : compare p. 184. The woodcut of a Shrew beating her Cuckold, who
holds up a Hornbook (for p. 161), is given in the Contents, p. xiii*.
Horn-Fair lasted three days. William Hone tells of its celebration in 1825,
" though the weather was unfavourable to the customary humours, most of the
visitors wore masks ; several were disguised in woman's clothes [as had been
William Fuller, and had them spoilt by dirty water, so that he had to pay two
guineas in atonement to the lender, see the Life of IV. Fuller, 1703], and some
assumed whimsical characters. The spacious and celebrated Crown and Anchor
booth was the principal scene of tbeir amusements. The fair is now held in a
private field ; formerly it was on the green opposite the church, and facing the
mansion of Sir Thomas Wilson. The late Lady Wilson was a great admirer and
patroness of the fair ; the old lady was accustomed to come down with her
attendants every morning during tbe fair, 'and in long order go,' from the steps
of her ancient hall, to without the gates of her court-yard, when the bands of the
different shows bailed her appearance, as a signal to strike up their melody of
discords. Richardson always pitched bis great booth in front of the house.
Latterly, however, the fair has diminished; Richardson was not there in 1825,
nor were there any shows of consequence. ' Horns ! horns ! ' were the customary
and chief cry, and the most conspicuous source of frolic ; they were in the hat
and bonnet of almost every person in the rout." — Every- bay Book, 1825.
Of course, the jests about Horning are multitudinous and indecorous. The
protrusion of the fore-finger and little finger ("making horns"), while the fingers
betwixt them were crooked-down, was a well-understood sign of calling a person
a Cuckold. Sometimes two contiguous fingers, extended like the letter V, was
deemed sufficient. Witness the gesture of Hogarth's Tom Idle, when sailing past
Cuckold's Point on the Thames, and forewarned of the gibbets garnishing the
hanks, trees that bore mellow fruit of pirates hanging in chains.
" He shall dig Gravel next Horn-Fair." — p. 197.
[These men belong to pp. 19, 194 ; the girl goes with pp. 117, 200, 232.]
I
197
[Roxb. Coll., 11.410; Pepys,IV.137 ; Douce, 1. 321; Euing, 321 ; Jersey, I. 284.]
Cfje ^colDing life's Omtiicatton ;
©r,
&n gnsfoet to tfje ©uriblo's (Complaint. Wfymin sfje sfjofos fojjat
just Eeasans sfje Jjao to txzxcm Stberitg oner f)er insufficient
f^usoano.
To the Tune of, The Cuckold's Complaint. [See p. 194.]
Licensed according to Order.
Have been abus'd of late, by some of the Poet's Crew,
Who says, I broke my Husband's pate, but this I did never do.
'Tis true I his ears did cuff, and gave him a kick or two ;
For this 1 had just Cause enough, because he would nothing do.
He's lain like a log of wood, in bed, for a year or two,
And wont afford me any good, he nothing at all would do.
I am in my blooming prime, dear Neighbours, I tell you true,
I am lo[ajth to lose my Teeming time, yet nothing at all he'll do. [' lost.'
He says that I keep a Friend, but what if I did keep two ?
There's no one can me discommend, for nothing \_at all he will do~\.
I make it full well appear, to be both just and true,
I kept my Maiden-head two year, for nothing at all he'd do.
Sometimes he'd give me a Kiss, and I wou'd return him two ;
But when he comes to farther bliss, he nothing at all wou'd do.
I am a young Buxome Dame, and fain would my joys renew,
But my poor Cuckold is to blame, he nothing [at all will do], 32
He says I have him abus'd, but what if this same be true ?
For this I may be well excus'd, since nothing [at all he will d>,].
Sure never was Wife so fool'd, as I, for a year or two ;
I did for him whate'er 1 could, yet nothing [at all he would do].
I feasted him e'ery day with Lamb-stones, and Cock-broths too,
Yet all this cost was thrown away, he nothing [at all wou'd do].
I feed him with jelly of Chicks, and curious Egg-caudles too,
I'se"good feed him with faggot-sticks, for nothing [at all he will do]. 48
He lyes like a lump of clay, such Husbands there is but few,
'T would make a woman run astray, when nothing [at all he will do].
Now, now let him take his ease, and sleep while the skye looks blue, [ = until.
I have a Friend my mind to please, since nothing [at all he will do].
Long, long, have I liv'd at strife, I kick'd, and I cuff'd him too,
He's like to live no better life, since nothing at all he'll do.
I solemnly do declare, believe me, this is true !
He shall dig Gravel next Horn-Fair, and that he is like to do. 64
Printed for P. Brooksby, J. Beacon, J. Blare, J. Back.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts : 1st, and 2nd, are on p. 204 ; the 3rd is in
vol. iv. p. 372 ; 4th, the little man, p. 206, reversed. Date, circa 1689.]
198
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 382 ; Jersey, I. 382.]
Ct)e 51?eto dSerman doctor;
©r,
3n Infallible cure for a *s>colDhtg GSJife : pcrfonncb bp
tljis mo0t ©rccllnu £)pct*ator, t§e like toag tuber
{utoton in all ages*
To the Tune of, Here I love, there Hove; or, The \_Tico~] English
Travellers. [See Note, p. 199 ; Ballad oti p. 200.]
Licensed according to Order.
YOu men that are married, I pray now attend,
Good tydings I bring you this day as a friend ;
It will be of use to all young Men and old,
AVhoever are troubl'd with Women that scold.
A Doctor of late, from the Emperor's Court,
A person of dextrous skill by report,
Hath taken a Chamber in London of late,
And cures scolding Wives at a wonderful rate. 8
This Doctor has travell'd all Poland and Spain,
And now to Great Britain he crossed the main ;
To one land and nation he'll not be confin'd,
But travels the World for the good of mankind.
That Man that is plagu'd with a cross scolding Wife,
Whose railing doth make him quite weary of life ;
Pray what would he give for an absolute cure,
Before such a terrible life he'd endure ? 16
'Tie like ev'ry morning when day-light appears,
She lings him a thundiing Peal in his ears ;
And makes him be glad to rouze out of the bed,
And all by the violent noise of her head.
Sometimes a good Husband may meet with a Friend,
And happen a penny or two pence to spend ;
Then in comes the Wife, who do's thunder and bawl,
And with the quart-flaggon his noddle doth maul. 24
Her Tongue is more keen than a two-edged sword,
Nay louder than thunder she peals will afford ;
Instead of fond pleasures, kind love and delight,
She is like a fierce Tygre, both morning and night.
It is an unspeakable torment I know,
You cannot imagine what they undergo,
Who with such cross Women their lives now do lead ;
But bring them away to the Doctor with speed. 32
The New German Doctor : his Care. 199
Nay, let them be never so aged or young,
This Doctor he takes out the Sting of the Tongue ;
Which is the main cause of that violent noise,
And likewise all modest behaviour destroys.
A Balsom he has of a moderate price,
Which takes off the frowns of the Face in a trice,
And makes her as mild as the innocent Dove,
And instead of railing, she's all over Love. 40
He hath been above seven weeks in the Town,
And yet of young Scolds who was given to frown,
He has cur'd above seven hundred indeed ;
And some full as bad as the Billingsgate-Breed.
There's one I will mention, liv'd near Tower-Hill,
Who would be both fighting and quarelling still ;
From night to next morning, from morning to noon,
Her pipes I must tell you was always in tune. 48
Her Husband he heard of this Doctor of f;ime,
Without longer tarry, faith, thither he came,
With she that was call'd The invincible Shrow,
Fast bound in a basket, for she would not go.
This Doctor he cur'd her in less than a week,
And made her as modest, as mild, and as meek,
As any sweet Lady this day in the land,
And so he do's all, that he e'er takes in hand. 56
We hear of some Quacks are for curing of claps,
And some other common diseases, perhaps ;
But when did you hear on our vast British shore
Of one that could cure this distemper before?
Whoever is troubl'd this day with a Scold,
Altho' she be youthful, or fourscore years old,
'Tis all one to him, if the Cure he don't do,
He'll not have so much as one penny of you. 64
Now rather than any that pain shall endure,
The Poor he for little or nothing will cure ;
All day at his chamber he is to be found,
Next door to the EeVs-foot in Sallenger's-Round. [SeeNote,P. iro.
[Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, the young squire with riding-whip, p. 133 ;
2nd and 3rd, on p. 206. Date, after the Coronation of James II., April, 1685.]
*** Note on Tunes.—" Unconstant "William " (on p. 200) gives name to our
first tune from its burden : For here I love, there I love, thus I love now, For Love
has entangled me I know not how ! It begins by declaring, ' ' Constancy I am sure is
not my fate." The second tune-name given is, The Two English Travellers
(reprinted in vol. v. p. 543), which determines the date of issue.
200
[Pepys Collection, V. 155 ; Jersey, I. 29 ; C. 22. e. 2. fol. 220.]
([inconstant William;
©r, 3Tf)£ JDamosrt's Bcsolution to ILobc EntiiffetentltJ all fflzn alike,
from tyx !£jpErt'ence of fjis Eislorjaltrjf.
To an Excellent New Tune [Here Hove, there I love].
(lOnstancy I am sure is not my Fate, for him I lov'd yesterday to-day I hate :
J For here I love, there I love, thus I love now ;
For love has intangl 'd me I know not how. [tie, passim.
Of all the Young-men that ever I did see, I lov'd William best, till he prov'd
false to me : For here I love, there I love, etc.
I loved him well, but his love it was small, now for the future I vow to love all.
For now I love Richard, Charles, Thomas, and John ; I likewise love Robert that
pretty young Man.
Tho' once I was constant, yet now I am free, and I am resolv'd ever so for to be.
Might I have a Miser with thousands, and more, I'd slight him, altho' he my
charms would adore : For here I love, etc.
I never will value the name of a Bride, to one huffing Gallant I'll never be ty'd.
I now can be coach'd to a Ball or a Play, and with a young Spark, be conducted
away.
With twenty or more I will reap my Delight ; It is not one Slrephon shall ruin
me quite.
My heart now will never be subject to break, like other young Maids whom their
Gallants forsake.
To Lawyers, nay Schollars, and Merchants also, my equal affection and kindness
I show.
I'll never be subject to any one's frown, while I am belov'd by the best in the Town.
When leaving the City I rang'd to the Court, and there with young Gallants in
Pleasure I sport.
I could have been Loyal to one and no more, had I not been slighted by William
before.
I find by Experience, young Men are unjust, therefore I will now be as false as
the rest.
If Batchelors they, through an evil design, let their Fancy waver, pray why may
not mine ?
For here I love, there I love, thus I love now,
Fur Love has intangVd me I know not how.
Jim's.
Printed for C. Bates at the White-Hart in West- Smith field.
[Black-letter. Three cuts. 1st and 2nd, p. 122 ; 3rd, p. 203 r. Date, circu 1685.]
Constancy was the forte or fate of few, after the Restoration, we may admit.
" An Answer to Unconstant William," and to the same tune, begins thus,
I am a brisk Batchelour, airy and young,
Who courts the young Maids with a flattering tongue ;
1 kiss and I squeeze them agen and agen,
nAnd vote I will Marry, but I know not when. [See p. 231.
With a woodcut of the girl listening to birds in the air (p. 196). "Kind
William " (p. 201) has the cut on p. 208 and scroll ornament, p. 218. Printed
at back of it, for J. Millet, is ' England's Tribute of Tears on the Death of the Duke
of Gkafton, 9th Oct., 1G90: ' = " Unwelcome Tydings overspread the land."]
201
[Pepys Collection, IN. 179 ; Douce, I. 107»o. ; Huth, I. 91 ; C. 22. e. 2. 46v.]
IRtnD William, or, Constant Betty.
Let Maids beware, and shun the snare, I say be rul'd by me ;
Though you['re] embrace[d], be perfect Chaste, from stains of Infamy.
To the Tune of, The Doubting Virgin. [See vol. iv. pp. 344, 349.]
COnstant Betty, that sweet Creature, she was William's heart's delight ;
In the shades he chanc'd to meet her, when fair Phoebus shined bright :
In conclusion his delusion was to bring her to his Bow,
" Let's not dally, ' Shall I, shall I.' " But she answer' d, " No, no, no ! "
Then his Betty he embraced, hoping for to win the Field,
She with modesty was graced, and resolved not to yield :
She denyed, he replyed, " Do no[t] seek my Overthrow ; "
" Let's not dally, ' Shall I, shall L.' But she answer' d, " No, no, no."
" Thou hast set mine heart on fire, sweetest Creature be not coy ;
Grant me what I do desire, thou shalt be my only joy."
Thus he woo'd her to delude her, and to bring her to his Bow,
" Let's not dally, ' Shall I, shall L.' " But she answer 'd, " No, no, no."
" Love thou art my only treasure ! " Then he took her by the hand ;
" Let me now enjoy the pleasure, I will be at thy command.
Don't abuse me, nor refuse me, lest it prove my overthrow;
Let's not dally, ' Shall L, shall L !' " But she [answer d, " No, no, no."]
" Now admit me, my sweet Betty, to salute and lay thee down,
None alive I think more pritty, I will thee with pleasure Crown :
Don't deny me, do but try me, from those charms such pleasures flow,
Let's not dally, ' Shall I, shall I.' " But she [answer'd, " No, no, no."]
" Thy obliging eye hath won me ; dearest, I am not in jest,
"Why should'st thou be coy and shun me ? i am certainly possest
"With thy Beauty, for my duty is to bring thee to my Bow.
Let's not dally, ' Shall I, shall I.' " But she [answer'd, "No, no, no."]
" Dearest Betty, sit down by me, let us lovingly agree.
Sweetest Creature, don't deny me, Cupid's dart hath wounded me :
Then come near me, Love, and chear me, for my heart is sinking low,
Let's not dally, ' Shall L, shall L. ' " But she [answer'd, " No, no, no."]
BETTY'S Answer to WLLLIAM'S Request.
" William, you are much mistaken, you shall never me ensnare,
In your Net l'l not be taken, therefore now your Suit forbear :
I'll deny it, and defie it, for I vow it shan't be so ;
While 1 marry, L will tarry, and ivill answer, ' No, no, no.' [while = unti\.
" I from Love will be excluded, e'er I'll hear an idle Tale,
I will never be deluded, no, nor shall you e'er prevail
To embrace me, and disgrace me, thus to sink my heart full low :
While L marry, I will tarry, and will [answer, ' No, no, no ! ' "]
WLLLIAM.
" Now my loving constant Betty, I will ever thee adore,
For thy Answer has been witty, I will never tempt thee more ; #
"When I try'd thee, thou deny'd me, all thy answer still was ' No,'
We'll not tarry, but will Marry : then it must and shall be so."
Jft'mS. [Probably by Tobias Bowne.
Muted for /. Beacon, Gilt-spur-street. [In Black-letter. See Note, p. 200.]
202
[Douce Collection, II. 210 verso; Jersey, II. 82; C. 22. c. 2. fol. 209.]
Cfte cLOounneD Letter's Lamentation to Silvia.
To an Excellent Xew Tune, sung at Court. This maybe Printed, R.P.
YOu I love (by Jove) I do, more than all things here below, [Compare p. 110.
With a passion full as great as e'er Creature fancied yet ;
Silvia, since my Heaven thou art, ease and cure my wounded heart.
Bid the Miser leave his Ore ; bid the wretched sigh no more ;
Bid the Old be young agen ; bid the Maids ne'er think of Men :
Silvia, this when you can do, bid me then not think of you.
Love's not a thing of Chance, but Fate, that makes me love, that makes you hate.
Silvia, then do what you will, ease or cure, torment or kill : \_Htre the original
Be kind or cruel, false or true, Live I must, and none but you. song ends.
Had I loved as others do, only for an hour or two,
Then there had a Reason bin, I should suiter for my sin :
But fair Silvia, let me find my dear Mistress always kind.
Love, thou know'st with what a flame I adore young Silvia's name ;
Let me then some pity find, Shoot a Dart and change her mind :
Change her till she pity me, and thy Votary I'll be.
On her gentle downy breast let a sighing Lover rest,
Twin'd within those tender Arms, fetter'd by those pleasing Charms ;
Then I will hereafter rest on the pilloivs of her Breast.
Thus you'll show your power and skill, able both to save and kill ;
But to kill has always bin held a most notorious Sin :
For young Beauties, which ive love, should be tender as the Done.
In sweet Groves we'll always dwell, with more Joys than tongue can tell ;
There the wanton then we'll play, steal each other's hearts away,
Thus we will our Joys renew, and be constant and be true.
Every Maiden which is fair should be gentle as the Air,
When we to the power submit, to their Beauty and their Wit :
Then their Charms will all men move, and will make them ever Love.
Printed for P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, J. Back.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, the man in Spanish hat, vi. 222 ; 2nd,
a lady walking in sunshine, vi. 224 ; 3rd, the park-scene, p. 136. Date, 1685.]
This is another adaptation of the original ' You I love ' (reproduced in first
three stanzas ; instead of leaving the song to form a finale, as on p. 110). It is
probably the very ballad cited as " The Wounded Lovers " in Wm. Thackeray's
List q/'301 Black-Letter Ballads, kept in stock, April, 1685, of which it is No. 290.
The List was fully printed and the ballads nearly all identified, by the present
Editor, in Bagford ballads, lxxvi, 1878. Few will remain unreprinted.
The other ballad version (p. 110) was printed for Philip Brooksby, only, and
to be sung to an excellent new tune. The music of this, as already shown, was
composed by Charles Taylor, and is not only in Playford's Choice Ay res, Fourth
Collection, p. 53, 1683, but also in the 1719 edition of Tills to Purge Melancholy,
v. 336. Words alone are in the Que Hundred and Eighty Songs, 1685 and 1694,
p. 321 ; also in the 1716 edition of Dryden's Miscellany Poems, ii. 189 ; and The
Dire, i. 43, 1724. They long remained popular, for a later musician, Tenoe,
re-set them in Watts's Musical Miscellany,!. 84, 1729 ; they are in the Merry
Musician, ii. 85. In The Vocal Miscellany, circu 1732, p. 204, the tune named
for them is Gently touch the trembling Lyre.
203
[Roxb. Coll., II. 206 ; IV. 50 ; Euing, 140 ; Douce, I. 93 verso ; Jersey, II. 47.]
©r,
■William's Patience Ecfrjaroco iottfj the consent of ^rettg Nancy.
To the Tune of, [ Would you le] the Man of Fashion ; or, The
Boulting Virgin. [See p. 201.]
Sitting with my dearest dear, by a little purling spring,
In the pleasant time o' th' year, when the little Birds do sing,
Straight I was resolv'd to move her, for to know how she inclin'd,
And to tell her that I lov'd her, and desire to know her mind.
Then quoth I, "My Tprety Nancy, well thou know' st thou hast my heart,
Thou alone art she I fancy, and can only cure my smart :
Tell me then, my pretty fair one, when you mean to change your life,
Tell me quickly then, my dear one, when will you he Willy's Wife?"
" Truly William" then quoth Nancy, " men they say are grown so
strange,
Every one they'l swear they fancy ; so they may perhaps for change ;
Yon may freely say your pleasure, I can hear without distast[e] :
Marriage should be done with leisure, and I'm sure I'm not in. haste."
" Will you be a peevish creature, and deny your self a cure ?
Who could teach you such ill nature? not your Mother I am sure :
She was scarce arriv'd at fourteen, when she lost a single life,
And was pleas'd so well with courting, that she soon became a wife."
" This I know is her confession, but I've heard her oft to pray,
That I might have more discretion, and to wait a longer day :
Therefore I do tell you fairly, some years more I mean to \vast[e],
Tho' indeed I love you dearly, yet I am not so much in haste."
204 Tlie Had// Wedding ; or, "William and Nancy.
"Well," quoth he, "have you consented; gave me hope, though
very cold ?
If you have not again repented, I shall have you when you'r old :
I have patience, and you know it, still to wait on you whilst life,
And will never think much to do it, if that you will be my wife."
" Now," quoth she, "I'm sure you love me, since you are content
to stay,
And your patience does so move me, I will marry j'ou this day:
Now I see you love me dearly, we no longer time will wast[e],
And I do declare it clearly, that I am as much in hast[e]."
Hand in hand these lovers walked, many a kiss she did exchange,
Many a vow pass as they talked, that their hearts should never range.
To the Church he did conduct her, where the Priest did end the strife,
And so well he did instruct her, she that day was William's Wife.
Printed for P. Brookshj, at the Golden-Ball, in Pye-corner.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts, one alone common to both the Roxburghe
exemplars, viz. the young man, of p. 203, right : we follow R. C. IV. 50, with
the grim lady, p. 2u3 left ; Roxb. Coll., II. 206, has the couple in forest dell,
p. 228. Date, 1672-82.]
*#* We hope the ' Hasty "Wedding ' proved happy. In ballad literature is
shown the connection of cuckoldry and shrewishness. Women who indulged in
the latter seldom left the former in abeyance. To be false to her husband, and
otherwise to make his life a burden to him by her tongue, was to use a double-
edged weapon of offensive warfare. "How the Devil was gull'd by a Scold"
(June, 1630) is in vol. ii. 366. Of better promise was " The H iltshire Wedding."
(For tune, see Popular JUusic, p. 146.)
[These two ruts belong to p. 197.]
205
[Roxb. Coll., III. 286 ; Pepys, IV. 107 ; Jersey, II. 79 ; Douce, II. 256 verso.']
Betintit Daniel Do-well anti Doll tfje BatrnvfHaiti. WLify the
consent of fyer olti jFatJ)Er. Leather- Coat, ano her Seat- ant) tenon:
fHotfjer Plodwell.
To an excellent [North- Country~\ Tune. [This maybe printed, R.P.J
A LI in a misty morning, so cloudy was the weather,
I meeting with an old man, who was cloathed all in leather,
With ne'er a Shirt unto his back, but woollen to his skin.
With how do you do, and how do you do, and how do you do, again 9
The rustick was a Thresher, and on the way he hy'd,
And with a leather bottle fast buckled by his side ;
And with a cap of woollen, that cover' d cheek and chin :
With how do you do \_and how d' 'you do~\, etc. 16
I went a little farther, and there I met a Maid,
"Who was going then a milking, " A-Milking, Sir," she said.
Then I began to compliment, and she began to sing :
With how do you do [and how d'ye do~\, etc.
This Maiden's name was Dolly, cloathed in a gown of grey ;
I being somewhat jolly, persuaded her to stay ;
Then strait I fell to Courting her, in hopes her Love to win :
With how do you do, and how do you do, and how do you do, again ?
Then having time and leisure, I spent a vacant hour,
Telling of my treasure, whilst sitting in the bower ;
"With many kind embraces, I stroak'd her double chin,
With how do you do [and how d'ye do~\, etc. 40
I told her I would marry, and she should be my Bride,
And long we should not tarry, with twenty things beside :
" I'll plow and sow, and reap and mow, whilst thou shalt sit and spin ;
With how do you do [atid how d'ye do~\, etc.
" Did you not meet my Father ? " the Damsel then reply'd ;
" His jerkin was of leather, a bottle by his side."
" Yes, I did meet him trudging, as fast as he could win : With,'''' etc.
" Kind Sir, I have a Mother, besides a Father still ;
Those friends, above all others, you must ask their Good-will :
For if I be undutiful to them, it is a sin : With,''1 etc. 64
Now there we left the milk-pail, and to her Mother went,
And when we were come thither, I asked her consent,
And doft my hat, and made a leg, for why she was within. With, etc.
206
The Will: inn Wedding,
" My Hu band i a-threshing, who ii her father dear,
He'll give her, with his Bit ing; kind Sir, yon need not fear.
Hi- i '.i ach good aature, thai be could never lin. With. '"'■
" For bj your courteou carriage, you wera an hone t man ;
Yaw maj hare her in Marriage; my Husband he anon
Will bid you rery welcome, though be be poor and thin. Withheld
Her Dad came home full weary, Lias! he could not chn •■■
Her mother being merry, he told him all the Dews.
Then bi jhty jolly too, lii* Bong <li<l toon b< g^ia : With, • to.
Her Parents being willing, all parti were agreed;
II' i portion thirty shillings, they married were with speed ;
Then Will the piper be did play, while they did dance and sinj
In plea 11 1 EL r< ition they pa s'd away the nigh! ; 108
Ami also by relation, with her he takes delight,
To walk abroad on Holiday , to nsit kith and kin. With, etc.
'I hi N lu t\ Ralph and Robin, with many dam el :• iy,
liiil ride on Ronn and Dobbin, t(> celebrate the dayj
When being me1 together, their Caps they off did ding:
With In, a i/i, you do, inn! how iio you do, and hou do you do, again '
Printed and sold in Bote Church Yard, London.
[Ulnck-lettei brood id< [before 1681 and those licen ed by Richard Pocoi k , vers
printed foi Franeii ' T< V$r$t ./. Wright, and John Clarke. Dura i a
White-letter reprint; with three modern cul . A bepherd youth ; an old man,
hall lei nd b market woman in s bigh -peaked bat with i ba ket.l
| Th< ' '' I' |,J'' I
207
€hc ftOincIicorcr dZIetfting.
-. ol " '. • it >■■ - would hiss ! "— 1 i 10.
ir.
ONEST TOM D'URFET had some special cause to like
Winchester, as everybody has who once had visited or dwelt there.
Sonic remembrance ol the hallowed quietude of its Cathedral cl
alternated with a sense ol enjoyment thai the boys of Winches
School possess, apart Prom the noise and racket of Harrow or the
priggish gentility ol more aristocrat i< Eton, keep many from for-
getting the ]'li Id city. Proverbially we are told that the
good American [who in proof of goodness subscribes to ihe Lvill.tti
Society], whenevei h< dies Uas! that any subscriber should die,
anil his money lapse], straign to Paris! Quite right of
him to do so; and we mai be glad to find ours a no worse
place, alongside of Tom D'Urfey, Edward Fitzgerald, and "bright
broken Maginn." Next I ?, or Loi don, we Bhould prefer
Winchester. When Charles 11. visited thai city in ins-j. it is
probable that Tom D'Urfey composed and sang this or him.
w know that Tom was in request to discourse Bweet music at
Winchester, and elsewhere [compare vol. v, p. 280) to the A!
Monarch. K.I.I'
In Popular Musio, p. 496, Mr. William Chappell gave the n
ol Tk$ i . with the openin I D'Ui
11 Winchestei Wedding" (which title popularly displaced that
The . but mentioned t ho - as being " -
ntable now." This work being meant lor the general pul
thai nothing might horrify " ihe young person " or such a terrible
guardian of propriety as • The British Matron,1 I
Wedding were no! always personally conducted with puritanic
precision, as shown in in ballad which records the psalm-
ting. If likely to be offended, " " ■'."
8 vropathy i Wilty, who [as in (he
of Lad] Hep of the 'Bridal of Neth< and 1 1 1 < bridesmaidens
whisper, "'twere better by far, to ba\ • match'd our fair cousin with y
." "Bat Willy \v:i> mel > mind bo tb<
It fy him and hej in the woodcut on p. 203. Bui Rohin is mindful of bis
friend, when ihp "poor silly B m" forgt ind man
and i)n parted lovers are left undisturbed to l*i'l Adieu oi ■>:
•■ I i , V \t ■ on n. 136 of 120 / S
p. LSI of the 180 1 5 Che West-Countr
(I)Tit(v's own suppose v el, but to a different tune), on p. "210. wherein
'.. Tin
' ballad,
Whether Besse, J bride
iIim im l\ named (triph >«*■
208
[Roxburghe Coll., III. 314 ; Bagford, II. 80 ; Pepys, IV. 10G ; Ouvry, I. G ;
Douce, II. 252vo., III. 106.]
C6e ftOmcfjestec Centring;;
©r,
Ralph of Reading, and Black Bess of the Green,
Did together resort, and caused such sport, as before scarce ever was seen.
To a new Country Dance ; or, The King's Jigg.
AT Winchester [there] was a Wedding, the like was never seen,
'Twixt lusty Ralph of Reading and bonny black Bess of the Green.
The Fidlers were crowding before, each Lass was as fine as a Queen, [p. 18.
There was an hundred, and more, for all the Country came in.
Brisk Robin led Rosy so fair, she look'd like a Lilly o' th' Vale ;
And ruddy-faced Harry led Mary, and Roger led bouncing Nell. 12
With Tommy came smiling Katy, he help'd her over the Stile,
And swore there was none so pretty, in forty and forty long mile ;
Kit gave a green gown to Betty, and lent her a hand to rise ; [Of. p. 67.
But Jenny was jeer'd by Watty, for looking blew under the eyes :
Thus merrily chatting all day, they pass'd to the Bride-house along,
With Johnny and pretty-faced Nanny, the fairest of all the Throng. 24
The Bridegroom came out to meet 'em, afraid the dinner was spoil'd,
And usher' d 'em in, to treat 'em, with baked, and roast, and boil'd.
Tbe Lads were frollick and jolly, for each had a Lass by his side ;
But Willy was melancholly, for he had a mind to the Bride :
Then Philip began her Health, and turn'd a beer-glass on his thumb ;
But Jenkin was reckon'd for drinking, the best in Christendom. 36
And now they had dined, advancing into the midst of the Hall,
The Fidlers struck up for dancing, and Jeremy led up the Brawl ;
But Margery kept a quarter, a Lass that was proud of her pelf, [ = brabble.
'Cause Arthur had stolen her garter, and swore he would tye it himself.
Tom D'TJrfey's < Winchester Wedding.' 209
She struggled, she Mushed, and frown'd, and was ready with anger to cry,
'Cause Arthur with tying her garter, had slipp'd his hands too high. 48
And now for throwing the Stocking, the Bride away was led,
The Bride-groom got drunk, and was knocking for candles to light him to bed :
But Robin, that had found him silly, most kiudly took him aside,
While that his wife with Willy was playing at Whoopees- Hide. [=Bli>uhnnu's
And now the warm Game begins, the critical minute was come, Buff.
And chatting, and billing, and kissing, went merrily round the room. 60
Pert Stephen was kind to Betty, as blith as a birde in the Spring,
Aud Tommy was so to Kntu, aud wedded her with a Rush-ring"; [Note, below.
Sukey, that danced with the Cushion, an hour from the room had been gone ;
And Bamaby knew, by her blushing, that some other Dance had been done.
And thus of Fifty fair Maids, that came to the Wedding with Men,
Scarce Five of the Fifty were left ye, that so did return again. 72
Brisk BoUy and pretty-fac'd Kate this merriment they did adore ;
Each Lass had been pleas'd with her Mate, as they never had been before ;
Nay, Susan, was pleased at heart, she said it, and said it again,
" The young Men have play'd their part, and no one had cause to complaiu."
The day was in merriment spent, the Pipes and the Fidlers they play,
Before all the Throng as they went ; thus they made an end of the day. 84
[So teas not this ajine Wedding, where all was pleas'1 'd to the life?
And they say, he makes a kind Husband, and she, a very good Wife.~\
[Written by Tom D Urfey.
[Bagford copy, chief woodcut is on p. 208. Printed for J. Deacon, at the Angel
in Guilt-spur-street, without Newgate ; Pepysian for P. Brooksby, at the
Go'd»u-Ball in Pye-Comer ; 1st Douce, by f. Norris: Roxb., n.p.n. Date,
before 1684. when it was printed in Several New Snugs by Thomas W Urfey,
Esq., and in One Hundred and Twenty Loyal Songs, p. 136, also in One
Hundred and Eighty Loyal Songs, with music, 168.3, and 1694, p. 131, along-
side of the skilful political parody, " In Praise of the Loyal Company of
Stationers," who, after the general forfeit, for their singular Loyalty, obtained
the first Charter of London, 16^4. It begins, " In London was such a Quarter,
the like was never known, about the forfeited Charter, betwixt the Court and
the Town." Ba^ford's exemplar has two other cuts, the single head (from
John Taylor's Kings of England) helmed, given in vol. vi. p. 184, with the
vase and flowers, ante, p. 184. The Italicized Finale is in broadside only.]
Line 64. — Marrying with a Push-Ring, i.e. a Ring made of twisted sedge,
had been already mentioned on p. 123. It was esteemed among loose-life people
as a kind of betrothal, called Holdfasting, but was more a substitute for wedlock
than an equivalent, consequently a preparatory to the seduction of maids. (See
Brand, snh voce.) The only Shakespearean allusion to the custom, is perhaps this
in All's Well that Ends Well, ii. 2 -It is "as Tib's Rush for Tom's forefinger."
[This woodcut belongs
VOL. VII.
210
[Roxburgh© Collection, III. 855 ; Pepys, IY. 290 ; C. 22. c. 2, fol. 73.]
Eogcr's Ocligbt;
©r, tije WitsU Cottntrg (Efjti'st'runcf anfi ©osst'pt'ncj.
To an Excellent New Tune, or Cold and Raw. Licensed according to Order.
WHen Sol had l[oosed] his weary Teams, and tnm'd his Steeds a Grazing-,
Ten fathom deep in Neptune's streams, he his Thetis lay embracing ; *
The Stars tript in the Firmament, like school-boys on a Play-day ;
The Country Lasses a Mumming went, like Milk-maids on a May-day. 8
Then a-pace grew on the grey-ey'd Morn, when the Herdsman's Flocks were lowing ;
And amongst the Poultry in the barn, the Flow-man's Cocks were crowing ;
Whilst Roger he dreamt of Golden Joys, was wak'd by a Revel-rout, Sir,
But Cicely she tells him he needs must rise, for his Jtiggy was crying out, Sir.
Note.—" Cold and raw the North did blaw," begins " The Northern Ditty ;
or, The Scotsman outwitted by a Country Damsel " (Roxb. Coll., II. 374), another
ballad written by Tom D'Urfey before 1688. With the additional second, third,
and fourth parts, it follows on pp. 233 to 237. For notes of the tune, Stingo or Oil
of Barley, see Popular Music, pp. 309, 313. The true tune was The Hempdresser.
(Burns wrote to it " The Deil came fidling through the town.'") " The West-Country
Christening" is D'TTrfey's own possible Sequel to the Winchester Wedding^
showing the silly bemuddled bridegroom, Ralph, alias Roger, a year later, be-
muzzed and stupefied, surrounded with gossips at the birth and private-baptism
of his little daughter (in Kent the cei'emony is mis-called ' half-naming '). He
counts the weakling as his own, and if he is contented, nay, proud of it,
nobody nend grumble : not even Willy, who knows more than we choose to guess.
Tom D'Urfey's Sequel : ' Rogers Delight: 211
Not half so merry the Cup went round, at the Tapping of good Ale- Firkin,
Then Roger his hose and shoes had found, and button'd his leathern-Jerkin ;
Grey Mare was saddl'd with wondrous speed, with Pillion and buttock aright, Sir,
And for an old Midwife away he rode, to bring the poor Kid to light, Sir. 24
" Oh ! good Mother, I pray get up, for the fruits of my labour it's now come,
And there it lyes struggling in Juggy's womb, but it cannot get out till you come. "
" I'll help her (quoth the old Hag) , ne'er doubt, thy Juggy shall be well again, Boy,
And I'se warrant that l'se get the Kid out, as well as thou gottest it in, Boy."
Grey Mare they mount, and away they ride, no whip nor spur was wanting ;
As soon as the old Hag enter' d the room, then ' [w]hoop ! ' cry'd out the Bantling ;
A Female Chit, so small it was born, you might put it into a Flaggon,
And it must be Christen' d that very morn, for fear it should die a Pagan. 40
Then Robin and Boll, with constant Kale, were Gossips for this great Christ'ning,
And the good Wives did merrily prate, whilst Juggy iu bed lay list'ning ;
They talk'd of this, and they talk'd of that, of Chatt'ing they were not sparing,
Some said it was so small a Brat, that 'twas hardly worth the rearing. 48
Then Roger he strutted about the Hall, as great as the Prince of Goncle ;
" What if her parts they are but small, they will be bigger one day.
What if her legs and thighs lie close, as little as any Spider,
You need not fear, e'er seventeen years, she'll lig them a little wider. 56
" For then she'll be a Woman grown, I'll lay Five Pounds in money ;
And have a little one of her own, as well as Jug my Honey :
These will be joyful days to see, I'll study for to advance her,
That Juggy may a Granny be, then I shall be a Grandsire." 64
Then Nappy Ale went fairly round, as brown as any berry,
With which the good Wives being crown'd, they all were brisk and merry ;
Whilst Roger he turn'd Cups over his thumb, to every honest Neighbour,
Saying, " A Twelve-month hence pray come, once more to my Juggy's Labour.
[Written by Tom D'Urfey.]
Northampton : Printed by R. Raikes and W. Dicey ; and sold by Matthias
Dagnel in Aylesbury and Leighton, Stephen Daqnel in Ohesham, William Ratten
in Coventry, Thomas Williams in Tring, Booksellers ; Nathan Ward in Sun-
Lane in Reading ; William Royce in St. Clements, Oxford ; Paul Stephens in
Bister; Anthony Thorpe at the White Swan in St. Albans; Mr. Franks in
Wooburne ; William Peachy near St. Benet's Church in Cambridge ; and by
Chururd Brady in St. Ives ; at all which places are sold all sorts of Ballads,
Broad-sheets, and Histories, with finer cuts, better print, and as cheap as at any
place in England.
[White-letter (with one woodcut = Old Ballads, ii. 182, 1725) ; a reprint, 1720.
Pepys copy, and C. 22, fol. 73 (corrective), are in Black-letter, printed for
Philip Brooksby, at the Golden-Ball in Pye-corner. Date, 1687-88. With
three cuts. 1st, the man, on our p. 31 l. ; 2nd. a young woman on horse-back
(without the cornuto symbol of horns, or the man behind, of p. 210) ; 3rd, the
carved-wood ornamental frieze, as on p. 209.]
On the verso of the Roxburghe exemplar is a large woodcut, entitled "The
Bubblers Bubbled; or the Devil take the Hindmost." Dated 1720.
' Roger's Benown,' a different ballad on a rustic christening or Gossips' Feast,
at the house of a ploughman similarly named Roger (but father of three boys at
one birth), is added for contrast, on p. 236, it being the Fourth Part of Tom
D'Urfey's Cold and Raw {the same tune). 'Roger's Delight' connects better
with it than with ' The Winchester Wedding,' whereof the tune is different.
s
212
Cbe Wanton Wiiiz of 15at&.
" Saint Pierre perdit l'autre jour
Les clefs clu celeste sejour.
[L'histoire est v> aiment singuli^re !)
C'est Margot qui, passant par la,
Dans son gousset les lui vola.
' Je vais, Margot, passer pour un nigaud :
Sendez-moi mes clefs ! ' disait Saint Pierre." — Biranger.
INCE the Miracle Plays, the Christmas Mumraings, and Easter
Mysteries of old time, when the ' Vice ' with his dagger of lath, or
the Lord-of-Misrule and Abbot of Unreason indulged in bold antics
that were not removed from profanity, yet which were encouraged
by devout Christian preachers and teachers, no less than by the
clamourous populace, there have been few ' risky subjects ' better
welcomed in modern years, by high and low, than the broadside
ballad of "The Wanton Wife of Bath," an appropriate finish to
our ' Matrimonial Group.' Dr. Thomas Percy included it in vol. iii.
of his famous Heliques, in 1765 (Book ii No. 12), and 1767 (vol.
iii. p. 145): pre-episcopal earth-quakings ejected it from his third
edition, 1775 ; and Lawn scruples from his fourth, in 1794.
It is boldly plain-spoken, admittedly, but the ballad-writer neither
seeks profanity nor seriously offends. The character of Chaucer's
Polyandrous "Wife of Bath" is well marked throughout. Her
anger blazes instantaneously, without any smouldering resentment.
She fights for her own hand, like Hal o' th' Wynd ; surpassing
Mause Headrigg at Scriptural quotation, since she can boast to have
" discomfitted an host of men, and by the help of the Lord I hae
loupen ower a dyke." It is the invincibility of a soul, sorely bestead,
but vanquishing a multitude. Perhaps she deserved to have been
sent to her own place, for shameless insolence.
The courtly Addison disdained not to praise our broadside ditty, and quote it
as an authority, saying, " That excellent old ballad of The Want an Wife of Bath
hath the following remarkable lines, ' I think, quoth Thomas, Women's tongues
of aspen leaves are made,' etc." {The Spectator, No. 247, December 13, 1711.)
Moreover, "having occasion to give us some lines of Ovid [Melam. 1. 6. v. 556]
upon the same subject, he first quoted our Song-enditer and then the Roman."
(The paper, not signed, C. L. I. or 0., may be by Steele, instead of Addison.)
Among the Tableaux collected by Barbazan in 1756, and re-edited by bis
successor Meon, 1808, and 1823, iv. 44, enlarged collection, is the story which
may have suggested the much-later ballad of " The Wife of Bath." It is
Le Vilaiu qui conquist Paradis par Plaint, and similarly mingles irreverence with
genuine piety. "A Villein comes to heaven's gate, is refused admission, and
successively silences St. Peter, St. Thomas, and St. Paid, by very pointed references
to their earthly weaknesses." A later time (1822) welcomed Byron's 'Liberal'
parody of Southey's Vision of Judgment, telling' of a stranger altercation in the
same regions, when " St. Peter sate at the Celestial Gate, his keys were rusty and
the lock was dull, So little trouble had been given of late : not that the place by
any means was full."
213
[Roxb. Coll., II. 487*;., III. 506, 889 ; Bagford, I. 31, II. 13 ; Pepys, II. 39 ;
Wood, E. 25, f. 93 ; Douce, II. 241, III. 107 v., IV. 29, 30 ; Euing, 374.]
C&e WLmton aoiife of i©art).
[The] Tune is, [ When'] Flying Fame, etc. [See Note below.]
IN Bath a wanton Wife did dwell, as Chaucer he doth write,
Who did in pleasure spend her dayes, and many a fond delight.
Upon a time sore-sicke she was, and at the length did dye ;
Her Soul came to Fliziuni's Gate, and knock'd most mightily.*
[First] Adam came unto the gate, " Who knocketh there ? " quoth he.
" I am the Wife of Bath" she said, " and faine would come to thee."
" Thou art a Sinner," Adam said, " and here no place shall have."
" Alas, for you ! good Sir," she said, " now gip, you doating knave !
" I will come in, in spight," she said, " of all such churls as thee ;
Thou art the Causer of our woe, our pain and misery.
" Thou first broke God's commandment, to pleasure thine own wife."
When Adam heard her tell this Tale, he ran away for life.
Thfn down came Jacob to the gate, and bids her pack to Hell ;
" Thou false Deceiver, why ? " quoth she, " thou should'st be there
as well" [Vide pp. 215, 216, for variations.
"For thou deceiv'dst thy Father dear, and thy own Brother too ! "
Away [slunk] Jacob presently, and made no more ado.
She knocks again, with might and main, andZot he chides her straight.
" Why then." quoth she, "thou drunken Ass, who bids thee here
to wait ?
" With thy two daughters thou did'st lye, on them two bastards got ! "
And thus most tauntingly she chaft against poor silly Lot.
Note. — The tune properly called When Flying Fame (words lost), still earlier
In Peascod time, later as Chevy Chaee (see vol. vi., and its Time-Index, p. 85, for
many references), was widely known. It is given in Popular Music, p. 199.
To this tune, cited as Chevy Chace, was written by Thomas Weaver, 27 July,
1647, the political ballad entitled " Strange and True JSfewes of an Ocean of Flies
dropping out of a Cloud, upon the towne of BODNAM m Cornwall." Unlucky
Bodnam! already mentioned, alias Bodmin, on our pp. 39 to 41. Whether flies
or Puritanism and later-methodism were the worse infliction, we leave cansists
to settle. The ballad was intended to show how it happens that " When kings
have lost their reignes and powei-, Then clouds upon us judgements showre."
An undeniable proposition. It begins thus {Percy Society, 1841, i. 38) : —
" Some talke of Battailes in the aire, and Comets in the skies,
But now we'll tell a tale more rare of great and monstrous Flies.
In Cornwall this strange sight was seen, at Bodnam Towne by name,
Which will be justified still by a Lawyer of great fame," etc.
" Printed in the Year of Miracles, 1647." Our 'Clerk of Bodnam' remembered it.
214 The Wanton Wife of Bath.
"Who knocketh there?" quoth Judith then, "with such shrill
sounding Notes?"
" This fine minks surely cannot hear," quoth she, " for cutting
throats." ivide al- lect-> P- 215-
Good Lord ! how Judith hlush'd for shame, when she heard her say so.
King David hearing [of the same], he to the gate did go.
Quoth he, ""Who does knock there so loud, & maketh all this strife?"
" You were more kind, good Sir," she said, "unto Uriah's wife.
" And when thy servant thou did'st cause in battle to be slain,
Thou causedst them more strife than I, who would come in so fain."
" The woman's mad ! " said Solomon, " that thus doth taunt a king."
"Not half so mad as you," she said, " I trow, in many a thing.
" Thou had'st seven hundred wives at once, for whom thou didst
provide ;
[Yet] for all this, three hundred whores thou did['st] maintain beside.
"And those made thee forget thy God, and worship Stocks and Stones,
Besides the charge they put thee to [in] breeding [of] young bones.
" Had'st thou not been out of thy wits, thou would'st not [thus]
have ventur'd ;
And therefore I do marvel much how you Ihis Place have enter'd."
" I never heard," quoth Jonas then, " so vile a Scold as this."
"Thou art not without faults," quoth she, "thou'st likewise done
amiss."
" I think," quoth Thomas, "women's tongues of aspen leaves are
made."
" Thou unbelieving Saint ! " quoth she, " all is not true that's said."
When Mary Magdalen heard [her] then, she came unto the gate ;
Quoth she, " Good Woman, you must think upon your former state.
" No sinner enters in this place," quoth Mary Magdalen then.
" 'Twere ill for you, fair Mistress mild ! " she answered her agen.
" You for your Honesty," quoth she, " should once have been
ston'd to death,
Had not our Saviour Christ come by, and writ it on the earth.
" It was [not by] your occupation you are become divine !
I hope my Soul [by] Christ's Passion, shall be as safe as thine."
Then rose up the good Apostle Paul, unto this wife he [cry'd],
" Except thou shake thy sins away, thou here shalt be deny'd ! "
" Kemember, Paul, what thou hast done, all through a wild Desire,
How thou did'st persecute the Church, with wrath as hot as fire."
Then up rose Peter, at the last, and to the gate he hies;
" Sinner," quoth he, " knock not so fast, thou weariest us with cries."
The Wanton Wife of Bath. 215
"Peter,'''' said she, " content thyself, for Mercy may be won;
I never did deny the Faith, as thou thyself hast done."
When as our Saviour heard this [told], with heavenly Angels bright,
He comes unto this sinful soul, who trembled at his sight.
Of Him for mercy she did cry. Quoth he, " Thou hast refused
My proffered grace, and mercy both, and much my Name abused."
" Sore have I sinned, 0 Lord ! " said she, " & spent my time in vain ;
But bring me, like a wander' d sheep, unto thy [fold] again !
" 0 Lord my God, I will forsake my former wicked vice ;
The thief, when he had said these words, pass'd into Paradise."
" My Laws and my Commandments," saith Christ, " were known
to thee ;
But [thou] of the same no notice took, as I did plainly see."
" Do thou forgive me now," quoth she, " most lewdly I did live ;
But yet the loving Father did his [Prodigal] Son forgive."
" I will forgive thy soul," said he, " for thy repenting cry,
So come [now] enter into my Best, for I'll not thee deny."
[Colophon lost from first Roxburghe, modern issue, in white-letter. But
second Roxb., Bagford's copies, the Pepysian, Wood's, Euing and Huth, are
in Black-letter, respectively bearing these imprints: (Bagiord's 1st) for W.
0\jiley\ and A. Melbourne] ; (2nd) for W. Thackeiay, at the Angel in Luck-
Lane ; (Pepysian) J. C[larke], W. T\haekeray] and T. P[assenger~\ ; (Wood's
and Euing's) Francis Coles; (Douce, IV. 29 ; Ouvry, I. 54; II. 73; modern
reprints) fills Press, Seven Dials. Original date, probably circa, 1613 ; doubtful.
Note.— The various readings are numerous, no two copies exactly coinciding,
and no authoritative early exemplar surviving. We need not record every
difference, only the chief in importance, early of date, and by numbered half-lines ;
here printed run-on into whole-lines, to save space. Line 7 reads, elsewhere,
And then her Soul at Heaven's gate did knock most mightily. Then, etc.
Line 16. — Gip, a term of contempt, may be either a brief contraction of
' Giptian, a well-known substitute for ^Egyptian alias Gipsy, or (as is probable
in this place) a saucy insinuation of his having been gelt like a Gib-cot. The
meaning need not be strained. But as gip is Yorkshire dialect =to retch or
vomit, the term may be equivalent to "you turn me sick ! " Across the Atlantic,
folk would say, with Bret Harte, 'git ! '
Line 39.— Nota Bene, our modern slang of " chaft," bantered ; \\exe=chaftd.
Line 43.—" Alas ! fine Minx we come not here (quoth she), for cutting throats."
Good lack .' etc. (This is the inferior Roxburghe version.)
Line 53.— Text mis-reads, awkwardly, " And when thou causest thy servants,"
etc. Al led., 'come in.'
Line 60.— Text weakly modernizes ' I trow ! ' into ' I know'
Line 65-68.— Text reads inaccurately, "For all this three hundred," etc....
" of breeding young Bones."
Line 69.—^/. led., beside thy wits. ..not thus have...
Line 75 of the Roxb. broadside is a very mild Bowdlerism of the older and
better text, which runs, with more characteristic insolence, " Thou whoreson
Runaway" quoth she, " thou diddest more amiss ! " But we leave the text
standing, for the sake of weak-kneed ecclesiastics who wheeze over improprieties.
216 The Wanton Wife of Bath.
A ballad ' Historie of the Prophet Jonas,' tune of Paggington's Pound, begins,
" Vnto the Prophet Jonas, I read; " printed by Edw. Allde, circa 1602. Cf.
our motto on title-page, from Fletcher's Monsieur Thomas, Act iii. 3.
Line 79. — "Unbelieving tDreteh!" is the old reading, correct no doubt. In
her anger sbe would not be quick to remember the Apostolic saintliness of this
noblest representative of modern pessimism, of undeviating loyalty that shrank
from the noisy declamation and socialism, but was most ready for self-sacrince.
"Doubting Thomas," indeed! Why those gregarious rebukers, who use the
term, are incapable of understanding his native grandeur and sincerity.
Line 87.— Roxburghe text reads, weakly, "'1'is well for you then, fair
Mistress," she, etc.
Line 98. — Roxb. text reads ' he said.''
Line 107. — Roxb. text reads ' Sinner,' where others have ' Fond Ifiiol ! '
Lines 89-92. — What wilful ' confusion of persons ' is here, the mixing together
Mary of Magdala "out of whom He had cast seven devils" with the 'woman
taken in adultery ' of 8. Luke viii. Even thus, ignorantly and destructively,
the nameless "woman who had been a sinner" and who brought the pot of
ointment to our Lord in the house of Simon the Pharisee (S. Luke, vii.) was
by Lady Eastl . . e commingled with the meek Mary of Bethany, who brought
later " against his burial " her pot of spikenard to the house of Simon, the leper.
Line 111. — Al. led., 'deny my Christ.'
Line 125. — Al. led., ' will amend for one poor silly word.'
Lines 131, 132, other reading, ' But of the same in enquiry not one word, did ye.''
Line 136. — Roxb. text weakly reads ' wicked Son.'
*x* Here befittingly ensues a change of scene, an interval, for refreshment.
No one need regret that the ' Wife of Hath ' found peace at last, howsoever
wanton she may have been aforetime, and in the abeyance of the wholesome
practice of Suttee ("until the said discipline may be restored again, which is much
to be wished," says one Edward White). We somewhat trembled for her; but
at the proper moment she laid aside her evil habit of answering railing with
railing, and felt piously abashed. So far well. Scolding wives usually reached
lower regions when their career ended, according to ecclesiastical records at
Lambeth. One Scotch termagant was exhorted to be kind to her husband when
he provoked her : " Be kind to him, my good woman, and sae heap coals o' Jire
on his head ! " Sbe is credibly reported to have accepted this advice from her
responsible Minister. " 0 ay ! I'll just try it. Atweel, I'm thinking it wunna
do muckle guid. I flang a kettle o' boiling water ower him, twice or mair, an'
he swore awfu. But I'll try the het burniri coals." She did so, and rested
on them or on her laurels.
$crc 3£ntis tlje (ffiroup of fHatrtmom'al anfo Sntf=fHatn'mom'aI
Ballads.
[This rut belongs to p. 159.]
E
217
Cocfclorrel's Strange TBanquct.
Patrico. — " Coch-lorrel he bight, on a time did invite
The Devil to a feast ; the tail of the jeast,
Though, since it be long, lives yet in a song :
Which, if you would hear,
Shall plainely appeal-, like a chime in your ear.
I'll call in my Clerk shall sing 't like a Lark."
Cock-lorrel. — " Oh, ay ! the song, the song in any case ; if you want music,
we'll lend him our music."
— Masque of The Gipsies Metamorphosed.''
.A. TING- been so recently admitted along with the 'Wanton
Wife of Bath' into a better place, and among better company than
she always kept in view (even when she travelled by the ' Pilgrims' -
Road' through Molash towards Canterbury and Thomas a Becket's
Shrine), any ballad-lover who desires a change of diet or scene may
find both awaiting, inside the Devil's Peak cavern, at Derbyshire.
There a banquet was long ago prepared for general or particular
delectation by Cock-Lorrel, according to the lyric account rendered
by no less a person than " rare Ben Jonson," in August, 1621, to
amuse the Scottish Solomon, King Jamie, the first of that name in
England ; in compliment to whom were added the three stanzas
here given, from the 12mo. 1640, and the folio edition, 1641 :
but they were not found in Jonson's autograph MS., formerly
belonging to Richard Heber, one followed by that excellent and
lamented scholar the late Lieut -Col. Francis Cunningham in his
Mermaid Edition of Jonson, iii. 156 (undated, but issued in 1871) :
" And there he made such a breach with the wind,
The hole too standing open the while, ['hole yett,' P. Fol.
That the scent of the vapour before and behind
Hath foully perfumed most part of the Isle. [' hath since infected.''
" And this was Tobacco, the learned suppose,
Which since in Country, Court, and Town,
In the Devil's glister-pipe smokes at the nose,
Of polecat and Madam, of Gallant and clown. [Of PunJce, Ibid.
" From which wicked weed, with swine's flesh and ling,
Or anything else that's feast for the Fiend ;
Our Captain and we cry ' God save the King,'
And send him good meat and mirth without end ! '
[We nole in margin variations from Percy's Fol. MS., the end reads :
" From which wicked p^fume, swine's flesh, & linge, [ting = dried cod.
Or any thing else he doth not loue,
P/-fserue & send our gracious King
Such meate as he loues, I beseeche god aboue ! Fints."]
The final stanzas were by Jonson, although himself a smoker:
variations were introduced during three successive performances of
the Masque, to please King James (whose aversion from ' swine's
flesh,' ling, and tobacco was proverbial, and who had published
A Covnter-blast to Tobacco, imprinted at London by R. B., 1604).
218 Cock- Lor rell's ' Strange Banquet ' at the Peak.
The tune is known as An old Man is a bed [=bag] full of bones, and is found
in many editions of the Lancing Master, 1650 (1695, p. 41), etc., in the Coll. of
One Hundred and Eighty Loyal Songs, p. 103, 1685 ; Pills to Purge Melancholy,
iv. 101, 1719 edition; Antidote against Melancholy, 1749; and Mr. Chappell's
Popular Music of the Olden Time, p. 161. On our p. 13 the tune was mentioned,
as used for a lively ditty concerning Whetstone Park ; to the same tune was sung
before Charles II. at Winchester Tom D'Urfey's Loyal Song, beginning, " A
Tory came late through Westminster- Hall," satirizing Lord Grey of Wark,
Will. Williams, Maynard, Patience Ward, Lady Clayton, Sir Thomas Player,
and others, after the execution of Stephen College, 31st August, 1681 (given
complete in our vol. v. p. 335). To the same tune went another Loyal Song,
" The Whigs' Disappointment upon their intended Feast," prohibited, 21st April,
1682, beginning, "Have you not heard of a Festival conven't of late?" (given
in vol. v. p. 146). Earlier names of the tune were The Rambling Clerk, and, after
1632, Michaelmas- Te> me (see p. 221).
In ' Martin Markall, Beadle of Bridewell, Ms defence and Ansioere to the
Belman of London. Discovering the long concealed Originall and Regiment of
Rogues,'' by S[amuel] B[owlands], Black-letter, 1610, Cock-Lorrel stands second
in the list: " One Cock Lorrell, the most notorious knave that ever lived . . By
trade he was a Tinker, often carrying a pan and hammer for shew ; but when he
came to a good booty, he would cast his profession into a ditch, and play the
Ladder. " Again, Cock-Lorrell when he "past through the town would cry,
' Ha? ye any icorke for a Tinker ? ' This was he that reduced in[to] forme the
Catalogue of Vagabonds or Quartern of Knaves, called the five and twenty Orders
of Knaves." On this theme we avoid entering, as to originator : let it suffice to
refer to The Fratemitye of Vacabondes . . Whereuntoaho is adjoined the twentu-
Jive Orders of Luiaves . . confirmed for euer by Cocke Lorell, 1575: a work of
inestimable interest, duly celebrated, one that was, along with A Caueat or
Warening for Commen Cvrsetors vulgarely called Vagabones, set forth by Thomas
Harrnan, Esq., 1567, reprinted in 1869 by the Early English Text Society, in
their admirable Extra Series, No. ix. (Cf. Bagford Ballads, pp. 190, 943-947,
wherein we enjoyed a liberal use of their woodcut illustrations.) The name of
Cocke Lorrell (like Eclipse, of our p. 83) may have been borrowed, since Wyukyn
de Worde, so early as 1510, had printed Cocke Lorrell' s Bote, a satire in verse,
reprinted for the Boxburghe Club in 1817 ; in 1841 ; and for the Percy Society,
vol. vi. in 1843 (Early English Poetry, ed. E. F. Bimbault) : and, since then,
by J. P. Edmond, 1884.
This is not the place or time to speak our admiration for Ben Jonson, in whose
rugged virility we delight, but whose plays we read without their exciting the
personal love that is awakened by the charm of his poems, his ' Underwoods ' and
lyrics. Except the tombstone of Charles Dickens and the monument of ' Dan
Chaucer, the first warbler,' there is no tomb dearer to us in Westminster Abbey,
not even " Glorious John's," or Cowley's, than the slab which bears Davenanfs
affectionate tribute of " 0 rare Ben Jonson ! "
[This woodcut belongs to p. 200.]
219
[Roxbur^he Coll., II. 445 ; Pepys, IV. 284 ; Euing, 343 ; Rawlinson, 207 ;
Poetical Broadsides, C. 20, f. 292 ; Jersey, II. 197 ; Ellis.]
21 strange Banquet ;
©r,
Cge SDtfuVg Entertainment up Cook Laurel at t&e Peak
in Derby-shire ; toiti) an Account of tfie 0tua*al
2Di0§t0 gcruto to Cault*
To the Tune oe, Cook Laurel, etc.
f^Ooh Laurel would have the Devil his guest, [»•'■ Cock Lorreu.
And bid him home to the Peak to dinner,
Where [the] Fiend had never such a least,
Prepared at the charge of a Sinner ;
With a hey down, down, a down, doivn.
His stomack was quesie, he came thither coach'd,
The joggings had caused his cruets to rise; [«./. crudities.
To help which, he call'd for a Puritan poach'd,
That used to turn up the eggs of his eyes ; [<*•'• the white.
With a hey [down, down, a down, down]. 10
And so he recovered unto his wish ;
He sat him down, and began to eat:
A Promoter in plumb-broth was the first dish,
His own privy-kitchin had no such meat ; With a hey, etc.
Yet though with this he much was taken,
Upon a sudden he shifted his trencher,
As soon as he spied the Bawd-and-bacon ;
(By which you may know the Devil's a "Wench er). 20
Six pickled Taylors sliced and cut,
With Sem[p]slers and Tire-women, fit for his pallet,
With Feathermen and Perfumers, put
Some twelve in a charger, to make a grand-sallet ; With, etc.
A rich fat Usurer stew'd in his marrow,
With him a Lawyer's head and green sawce,
All which his belly took in like a barr[ow], Ctext. 'barrel.*
As though till then he had never seen sowce. [=sowse.
Then, carhonado'd and cook'd with pains, [=t>read stuffs.
Was brought up a Serjeant's cloven face;
The sawce was made of a Yeoman's brains,
That had been beaten out with his Mace. With, etc. 35
Two roasted Sheriffs came whole to the board,
The feast had nothing been without them ;
Both living and dead [they] were foxed and fur'd,
And their chains like sassages hung about them. With, etc.
220 Coch-Lor roll's ' Strange Banquet ' at the Peak.
The next dish was the Mayor of the Town,
With a pudding of maintenance"" put in his helly ; [Note. p. 221.
Like a Goose in her feathers [was he] in his gown,
With a couple of Hinch-boys boyl'd to a jelly. [=henchman.
Next came the over-worn Justice-of-Peace ;
With Clerks like gizzards stuck under each arm,
And warrants like Sippets, lay in his own grease,
Set over a chaffing-dish to be kept warm. With, etc. 50
A London Cuckold came hot from the spit,
And when the Carver had broken him open,
The Devil chopt his head off at a bit,
But the Horns had almost like to [ha'] choak'd him.
A fair large Pasty of a Midwife hot ; [=a lar&e fat P.
And for [the] cold bak'd meat in this story,
A reverend painted Lady was brought,
Long coffiu'd in crust till now she's grown hoary. 60
The loins of a Letcher then was roasted, [<*•*■ chine.
With a plump Harlot's h[aunch] and garlick, ['head.'
With a Pander's petitoes that had boasted
Himself for a Captain, that never was warl[ike].
Then, b[r]oiled and stuck upon a prick, [=skewer.
The Gizzard was brought of a holy Sister;
That bit made the Devil almost so sick,
That the Doctor did think he had need of a glister.
The Jowl of a Time-server served for a fish, ["•'■ ' Jayior.'
A Constable sowced, [stal]ed vinegar by ;
Two Aldermen-lobsters laid [a-sleep] in a dish, ts'r> MS-
A Deputy-tart, and a Church- warden-pye. [Notes, p. 221.
All which [he] devoured ; then, for a close,
He did for a draught of Derby [Ale] call ;
He heaved the vessel up to his nose,
And never [it] left till he had drank up all.
Then from the table he gave a start,
AVhere banquet and wine was not to seek, [»•*• ™f1"°thing
All which he blew away with a f [l]art,
Prom whence it's call'd, The Devil's A . . e Peak.
With a hey down, down, adown, down. [°f- p-21'-
[By Ben Jonson.
Licens'd and Enter'd according to Order.
London: Printed by and for W. 0[nley~],foTA[lexander~\3I\_ilooiirne~],
to be sold by J. Deacon, at the Anyel in Guilt-spur^- street.^
[In Black-letter. One woodcut, of a Eoyal Banquet. Date of original, 1621 ;
but as broadside-ballad entered to Francis Grove, October, 1637.]
Cock- Lorr ell's ' Strange Banquet ' at the Peal;. 221
Rawlinson's exemplar was printed for jF. Coles, Vine-street, Hatlon- Garden.
Poetical Broadsides' was printed for W. Gilbertson, with two additional cuts, one,
an Apparitor, in i. 119, the other a Devil. This text we follow.
* Note. — ' Pudding of Maintenance ' may refer as probably to the legal squabbles
about wealthy men backing-up an impecunious plaintiff by maintenance, as it does
to the Cap of Maintenance which was carried before the Mayors in procession.
*** In the Percy Folio MS., p. 182 (=print, 1868, iv. 43), after the ' Holy
Sister ' of our stanza fourteenth, follow a variation of the next stanza with a
Jaylor in place of the Time-server, and an allusion to some obnoxious ' Dean of
Dunstable,' who had got into trouble and is not past identification: "two
aldermen lobsters a-sleepe in a dish, with a dryed Deputye & a sowcet Constable ; "
also these three worse than doubtful additional stanzas, preceding our sixteenth : —
These gott him soe feirce a stomacke againe,
t[hat] now he wants meate whereon to feeda ;
He called for the victuals were drest for bis traine,
and they brought him vp an alepotroda. [Olla-podrida, hotch-potch.
"Wherein were mingled courtier, clowne,
Tradesmen, merchants, banquerouts store ; [ = Bankrupts.
Churchmen, Lawyers of either gowne —
Of ciuill [and] common [Law], — player and whore.
Countess, servant, Ladye's woman, [Surely not Jonson's.
Mistress, chambermaid, coachman, knight,
Lord and vsher, groome and yeoman :
Where first the Feend with his forke did light.
All which devowred, he now for to close, etc. [as on p. 220, ante]
As " a Song on the Devil's A . . e of the Peak : by Ben Jonson," it is not
given by Dryden in his Miscellaneous Poems, 8vo., but was added in 1716, to
vol. ii. p. 142 of the small six vol. edition, 19 stanzas. It had also been in the
1671 New Academy of Complements, p. 269 ; and Wit and Mirth, p. 54, 1684.
The ordinal succession of stanzas varies in the versions.
The clever satire of ' Michaelmas Term,'1 probably by Martin Parker (reprinted
in Bagford Ballads, pp. 401-406, 970, 971), was sung to the tune of The Rambling
Clerk, which was the same as this one called Cooke Lnurell. ' Michaelmas Term '
was entered as a ballad to John Wright, etc., in the Stationers' Registers, iv. 273,
July, 1632-1633. Another by Martin Parker, viz. " A Bill of Fare" (entered to
Francis Grove, Oct., 1637 ; reprinted in Roxb. Ballads, i. 70), to the same tune.
222
[Roxb. Coll., II. 172, III. 346 ; Bagford, II. 129 ; Pepvs, III. 145 ; Rawl., 63,
168 ; Huth, I. 117; Wood, E. 25, fol. 86 ; Douce, I." 85 ; Jersey, I. 294.]
Ci)e jfrper toell jfitteti ;
a pvtttp Jest ti&at once fofctt,
^oto a #nio put a j*cpcr to cool in tgc S2MI.
To a Metiry Tune. [See Note on p. 224.]
AS I lay musing all alone, fa, la, la, la, la,
A pritty jest I thought upon,/«, la, la, la, la ;
Then listen a while, and I will you tell
Of a Fryer that lov'd a bonny Lass well :
fa, la, la, la, la, fa, la, la, lang-tre-down-a-dilly . [pas»im.
He came to the Maid when she went to bed, fa la, etc.
Desiring to have her ni;iiden-head, fa la, etc. ;
But she denyed [him] his desire,
And told him that she fear'd Hell Fire, fa la, etc.
" Tush ! " (quoth the Fryer) "thou need'st not doubt [etc.],
If thou wert in Hell I could sing thee out : "
" Then" (quoth the Maid) " thou shalt have thy request."
The Fryer was glad, as a fox in his nest : fa la, etc. 15
The Friar well-fitted, by the Maid. 223
" But one thing" (quoth she) " I do desire, fa la, etc.,
Before you have what you require, fa la, etc. ;
Before that you shall do the thing,
An Angel of money thou shalt me bring," fa la, etc.
" Tush ! " (quoth the Fryer) " we shall agree, fa la, etc.,
No money shall part my Love and me, fa la, etc. ;
Before that 1 will see thee lack,
I'll pawn my grey Gown from my back,"/« la, etc.
The Maid bethought her of a wile,
How she the Fryer might beguile, fa la, etc. ;
"While he was gone, the truth to tell,
She hung a cloth before the well ;
fa, la, la, la, la, fa, la, la, lang-tree-down-dilly. 30
The Fryer came, as his covenant was, fa la, etc.
"With money to his bonny Lass, fa la, etc. ;
" Good-morrow, fair Maid ! " " Good-morrow ! " (quoth she).
" Here is the money I promised thee,"/« la, etc.
She thankt the man, and she took his mon[e]v,
" JSTow let us go too't ! " (quoth he) " sweet Honey."
li Oh stay " (quoth she) " some Respite make,
My Father comes, [and] he will me take,"/« la, etc.
" Alas ! " (quoth the Fryer) " where shall I run,
To hide me till that he be gone ? "
" Behind the cloth, run thou ! " (quoth she),
" And there my Father cannot thee see, fa la, etc. 45
Behind the cloth the Fryer crept,
And into the well on a sudden he leapt.
" Alas ! " (quoth he) "I am in the Well."
" No matter " (quoth she) " if thou wert in Hell, fa la, etc.
" Thou say'st thou could'st sing me out of Hell,
Kow prithee sing thy self out of the Well."
The Fryer sung on, with a pittiful sound,
" Oh ! help me out, or I shall be drown'd,"/« la, etc.
" I trow " (quoth she) " your courage is cool'd."
(Quoth the Fryer) " I never was so fool'd ; "
" I never was served so before ! "
" Then take heed" (quoth she) " thou com'st there no more."
(Quoth he) "For sweet Saint Francis1 sake,
Ou his Disciple some pitty take ! "
(Quoth she) " Saint Francis never taught
His scholars to tempt young Maids to naught." 65
The Fryer did intreat her still,
That she would help him out of the well ;
She heard him make such piteous moan,
She help'd him out, and bid him be gone, fa la, etc.
224 The Friar ic/io did not let Well alone.
(Quoth he) " Shall I have ray money again,
Which from me thou hast before-hand ta'ne ? "
"Good sir" (said she) "there's no such matter;
I'le make you pay for fouling my water," fa la, etc.
The Fryer went all along the street,
Dropping wet, like a new-wash'd sheep, fa la, etc.
Both Old and Young commended the Maid,
That such a witty prank had plaid ;
fa, la, la, la, la, fa, la, la, Ian g-tre-doivn-rf illy . 80
jjhtt's.
Printed for W. Thackeray and T. Passinger.
[Black-letter. Four cuts, the two on p. 222; ladies, iii. 418, left, and iii.
646, right. Second Roxburghe, " Printed and sold in Aldermary Church-
yard, London." "We suppose the date of the original ballad to have been
earlier than the 1st of June, 1629, at which time (in the Stationers' Registers,
D. fol. 179= Transcript, iv. 213), amon^ other ' ballades ' was entered to John
Wright, John Grismond, Cuthbert Wright, Edward "Wright, Henry Gosson,
and Francis Coules, partners, " As I lay musing," the property of the Widow
Trundle. Hence it was of still earlier date : unless the entry refers to the
'Life of Man,' (2), and not to this ' Fryer in the Well ; ' for" the same first
line belongs to several other ballads, viz. 1. — The Shepherd's Lamentation for
his Phil/is; " 2.— Richard Crimsall's "Life of Man" (Roxb. Bd^., i. 142) ;
3.— "The Poor Man pays for All" {Ibid., ii. 334); 4.—" Even in the
Twinkling of an Eye" (to be reprinted in Religions Group). A modern Scotch
imitation, beginning. " 0 listen, and I will you tell, «i' a fnlaldirry, falaldirry,
How a friar in love wi' a lassie fell," etc., is in R. Kinlock's Ballad Book, 1827.
Compare Skelton's ' Colyn Chute,' v. 879. Both of the cuts on p. 222 were
mutilated. (As to original of the Friar, see a later complete picture, and
vi. 597.) The girl with feather-fan had belonged, like the Haberdasher
holding a mask on p. 168, to a civil-war pamphlet of October, 1656, entitled
'Here's Jock in the Box!' wherein her right foot is propt on a barrel.
Cf. vi. 329. Bagford's exemplar, printed for W. Onley, sold by /. Walter, has
two cuts: 1st, the man of ii. 348 ; 2nd, the lady of our p. 122.]
*#* That this ' Pretty Jest ' appeared in its early version previous to 1597 is
shown by a quotation given by Mr. William Chappell (Popular Music, pp. 273,
274, where the music will be found), from Anthony Munday's " Downfall of
Robert, Earl of Huntington," of that date. In answer to Little John's complaints
of " no jests of Robin Hood, no merry morrices of Friar Tuck," being introduced,
he is answered that these have been shown before, such as
" How the Friar fell into the Well,
For love of Jenny, that fair bonny belle."
Since the tune is named in The Dancing Master, from 1650 to 1686, ' The Moid
peept out of the Windoiv, or the Frier in the Well, we are entitled to believe that
the former mav have been the opening line of an earlier version.
The wiser among us have learnt to distrust many such lampoons on the Friars
and Monks of old, yet the Friars with their wanderings to collect alms and
provant were the likelier men to get into irregularities or immoralities than
resident monks. The more the truth is revealed concerning the early visitation
of the Monasteries, as in the publications of our Camden Society, the better we
can estimate the baselessness of the wholesale charges of corruption, or the
scandalous exaggerations, of the political wire-pullers who were greedy for plunder
of the fore-doomed Monasteries, under the bloodthirsty tyrant and voluptuary
(' which nobody can deny '—except Froude) Henry the Eighth.
225
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 554; Pepys, III. 269; Jersey, III. 76.]
UnconsctonableBatcIjelors of Darby.
©r,
9Ef)c gating Masses Paum"o fig tftetr &uKet=hearts, far a larrre
Sfochnmn;, at Nottingham ffiaase=JFatr; inhere poor Susan toag
forced to pag the Shot.
To the Tuxe of, To thee, to thee, etc. [See Notes, pp. 227, 239.]
YOu lovers of mirth, attend a while,
A merry new Ditty here I write ;
I know it will make you laugh and smile,
For every line affords delight :
The Lasses of Darby, with young men, &■« ot Nottingham?
They went to Goose-fair for recreation,
But how these Sparks did serve them then,
Is truly worth your observation,
Truly, truly, worth your observation.
Therefore I pray observe this Ditty ;
The Maids did complain they came there in vain,
And was not, was not that a pity f 12
So soon as they came into the Fair,
The Batchelors made them conjues low, [=cong<?es.
And bid them a thousand welcomes there ;
This done, to a tippling-school they go :
How pleasant was honest Kate and Sue?
Believing they should be richly treated ;
But, Neighbours and Friends, as I am true,
No Lasses euer was so cheated,
Cheated, cheated, very fa[i]rely cheated,
As you may note by this new Ditty ;
They were left alone to make their moan,
And was not, was not that a pity ? 24
The innocent Lasses, fair and gay,
Concluded the Men was kind and free,
Because they pass'd the time away,
A plentv of cakes and ale they see ;
For [Cy]der and bread they then did call, [fe*'. 'sider-'
And whatever else the House afforded ;
But Susan was forc'd to pay for all,
Out of the mon[e]y she had hoarded,
VOL. Vtl. 'l
226 The Unconscionable Bachelors of Derby.
Hoarded, hoarded, mon[c]y she had hoarded ;
It made her sing a doleful Ditty,
And so did the rest, with grief opprest,
And was not, was not that a pity f 36
Young Katy she seemed something coy,
Because she would make them eager grow,
As knowing therehy she might enjoy
What beautiful Damsels long to know :
On complements they did not stand,
Nor did they admire their charming features,
For they had another game in hand,
Which was to pawn those pretty Creatures ;
Creatures, creatures, loving, loving creatures,
"Which was so charming, fair, and pretty ;
The Men sneak'd away, and nothing did pay,
And loas not, tvas not that a pity ? 48
Though out of the door they [departe]d first,
And left them tippling there behind ; [text, ' enter'd.'
Those innocent Maids did not mistrust
That Batchelors could be so unkind.
Quoth Susan, " I know they're gone to buy
The fairings which we did so require ; lQf- p- no-
And they will return I know, for why,
They do our youthful charms admire ;
Therefore, therefore, stay a little longer,
And I will sing a pleasant Ditty ; "
But when they found they were catch'd in the pound,
They sigKd and weep'd, the move's the pity. 60
Now finding the Men return'd no more,
And that the good [Inn-]people would not trust,
They presently call'd to know the score,
It chanc'd to be fifteen shilling just :
Poor Kate had but five pence in her purse,
But Sue had a crown, besides a guinney ;
And since the case had happen'd thus,
Poor Soul, she paid it e'ry penny ;
Penny, penny, e'ry, e'ry penny,
Tho' with a sad and doleful ditty ;
Said she, " For this I had not a kiss,
And tvas not, tvas not that a pity ? " 72
Printed for J. Bissel, in West-Smithfield.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st, new, a woman and man walking, like
reverse of p. 231 ; 2nd, lady, of iii. 377 ; 3rd, is on p. 103. Date, 1685-95.]
The Unconscionable Bachelors of Nottingham. 227
*** We identify the tune named, To thee, to thee .' from the burden of a ballad,
' The Merry Bagpipes,' "A Shepherd sat him under a Thorn" (see p. 239). (
It was shabby of the " Nottingham lambs " to serve Katy and Susan thus, not
only to disappoint but to bilk them, leaving them to pay the reckoning. What
they were, when they by their rioting frightened to death Byron's Mary Chaworth
( = Mrs. Musters), by attacking Colwick Hall in February, 1832, such had they
been of old : incapable of improvement. A bad lot, egg and bird.
It may be pleaded that the culprits in the ballad are styled " Batchelors of
Derby," and that they only ivent to Nottingham, thirteen miles distant, along
with their beguiled sweethearts. Stuff and nonsense ! The men's baptismal -
registers would prove that they had originally belonged to Nottingham ; but,
while at home there, having misbehaved too badly even for the code of ' geese '
and 'lambs,' they had been forced to emigrate into honest Derbyshire, and
tried to pass themselves off as natives. Their tricks betray their birth-place.
We leave the Onus probandi with gainsayers to bring forth a Darbyshire register
in attestation. (The fact is they were only " half- named " and half-saved, but
never christened anywhere.) One of them was hanged at Nottingham, luckily,
and that ought to strengthen the evidence and absolve Derbyshire. It sustains
the burden of the Peak, with its Devil (p. 219), counter-balaiiced by Peveril and
the heroic Charlotte de Tremouille. " Bachelors of Derby," indeed !
From Nottingham Goose-Fair (held on first Thursday in October, and two
days after) we come in the next ballad to Smithfield's Bartholomew Fair (held
early in September, generally on the 5th). In Roxb. Ballads, vol. hi. p. 492,
was reprinted " My Masters and Friends and good people draw near ! " being
Ben Jonsou's ' Song of the Cut-purse,' who exercised his vocation at Bartholomew
Fair, and the whole of the racy comedy bearing that title gives a lively panorama
of the scene as it was beheld in 1614. To Francis Grove, on 21st August,
1638, was entered in Stat. Registers a ballad on " Bartholomew Fair," and on
23rd September, 1639, to Richard Harper "A Bartholomew Fairing." "The
Dagoi/izing of Bartholomew Fayre, caused by the Lord Maior's command," circa
1656, begins, " On August's foure and twentieth Eve." One Zommersetshire
yokel came, in 1655, to see the sight, before Sir John Dethic ' reformed ' it.
[Wit and Mirth, p. 171, 1700 edition; with music, Pills, iv. p. 109.]
Slit Ancient Scmg of BartfjolomEto jFair.
N 'Fifty-five, may I never thrive, if I tell you any more than is true,
To London che came, hearing of the fame of a Fair they call Bartholomew.
In Houses of Boards, men walk upon cords, as easy as Squirrels crack filberds ;
But the Cut-purses they do bite and run away, but those I suppose are Ill-Birds.
For a Penny you may zee a fine Puppet-play, and for two-pence a rare work of Art ;
And a penny a cann ; I dare swear, a man may put zix of 'em into a Quart.
Their zights are so rich, is able to bewitch the heart of a very fine man-a ;
Here's 1'atient Grisel here, and Fair Rosamond there, and the History of Susanna.
At Pye-corner end, mark well my good Friend, 'tis a very fine dirty place,
Where there's more Arrows and Bows, the Lord above knows, than was handled
at Chtvy-Chase.
At every door [waits] a Hag or [a sc]ore, and in Hosier-lane, if I a'nt mistaken,
Zuch plenty there are, of w — es, you'll have a pair, to a single Gammon of Bacon.
Then at Smithfield-Bars, 'twixt the ground and the stars, there's a place they
call Shoe-makers' -Row,
Where you may buy Shoes every day, or go bare-foot all the year I trow.
jFi'nts.
I
228
Cbc (Unfortunate *Lot>ct%
" My Love sleeps on another man's pillow." — The Willow Green ballad.
[This woodcut belongs to pp. 175, 204, 229, etc.]
J.HE Merry-Andrew of this hallad would find Joan return to him— possibly.
But how if she were the ' very identical Joan ' of our p. 162, who told a John to
"Rock the Cradle"? Did she (finding that a faux pas on her part had not
spoilt Merry-Andrew's confidence in her affection and trustworthiness) throw
away such a devoted and easy lover, and go off to find another in the aforesaid
John ? Were there actually two such easy men in the nation simultaneously ?
It is a queer world, and anything is credible. But supposing that John had
been generally known as Merry-Andrew, are we re-uniting the scattered links of
the chain ? Dates are against the supposition, 1636 and 1670-76 : forty years !
%* We have no wish to press hard judicially on any Joan of the lot. In such
cases of doubtful parentage there are always "Two Knaves and a Fool." [By
the way : a certain admirer of Jean Middlem ass's novel, thus named, ought not
to have asked for it so bluntly across the counter of the three excellent librarians
whom we know in London, "Have you Two Knaves and a Fool here?" It
Bounded badly. He might well add, as he did, " I ought to get ' Five Years
Penal Servitude,'' I have tried for it so long." Another person, a lady, com-
plained to them : "You promised me ' Two Kisses,' yet I have never had them ! "
But she only meant Hawley Smart's book.] We "feel so kindly towards Mary
Moders, alias Mary Carleton, alias ' The German Princess,' that we opportunely
add, on p. 230, her " Westminster-Wedding Epithalamium " (already promised
on p. 63). Whatever may have been Mary's faults, or Joan's, the prevalence of
such loose fish as " Unconstant William," who avowed his " Resolution to pay
the young Lasses in their own Coin" (see p. 231), yields some justification.
Mary's husband, John Carleton, was no whit better than this roving libertine.
229
[Roxb. Coll., II. 555 ; Pepys, III. 96 ; Douce, II. 235 verso; Jersey, I. 118.]
Ci)e Unfortunate JLotier ;
©X,
Merry Andrew's gao anD toofull ^Lamentation for tlje
1LO00 of Jji0 Stotctgeart Joan.
To the Tune of, I [_Ay~\ marry, and thank ye too. [See p. 112.]
Licensed according to Order.
A Las ! I am come to Town, and here make pitifull moan,
For having rambled up and down, canH find out my true Love Joan.
I came to Bartholomew Pair, and search'd that place alone,
Expecting to have found her there, my delicate Sweetheart Joan.
I am in a pitifull case, and shall be overthrown,
I have made many a sowre face, for want of my true Love Joan.
In bed I can take no rest, but tumble and toss alone,
A thousand torments in my breast for want of my Sweetheart Joan.
To love I am so enclin'd, and daily do make sad moan,
And quite distracted in my mind, for want of my true Love Joan.
She's as sweet as a sucking-pig, for her I do make my moan ;
I long to dance the Wedding-Jig along ivith my Sweetheart Joan.
I wander the silent Grove, and make most piteous moan,
I am over head and ears in love, and all for my Sweetheart Joan.
For she was as sweet a bit as ever by me was known,
Her precious smiles I can't forget, oh, where is my Sweetheart Joan ?
Her lips they were cherry-red, she had but one fault alone,
A little child e'er she was wed, my delicate Sweetheart Joan.
I like her never the worse, the child's a Champion grown,
By being well brought up at Nurse, but where is my Sweetheart Joan ?
To speak of her Beauty bright, there hardly is such a one.
Her pleasant charms do's dim my sight, my delicate Sweetheart Joan.
At once she looks North and South, her Beauty I needs must own,
She has a pretty sparrow's Mouth, my delicate Sweetheart Joan.
Her pretty sweet Beetle-brow, but teeth she has not one ;
She is as slender as a cow, my delicate Sweetheart Joan.
Her hair's as black as a cole, for her I do make sad moan,
1 fear some Lord or Earl has stole my delicate Siveetheart Joan.
Printed for P. Brooksby, J. Deacon, J. Blare, J. Back.
[Black-letter. Cuts: 1st, lady, p. 203; 2nd, man, p. 31; 3rd, p. 228. Date,
circa 1685.]
2:i0
[Douce Collection, II. 253 verso. Apparently unique.]
Cl)e aaiestmtnster JKUeDMng ;
£Dr, Cad^ton's CBpitgalamtum*
To the Tune of, The Spanish Lady. [See vol. vi. p. 655.]
WILL you hear a German Princesse, how she chous'd an English
Lord,
"Whose fair Language still convinces all who dare believe her word,
That she was no Fitter's Childe, or base-lorn brat,
But by birth and parentage the Lord knows what !
Deckt she was with many a Jewell, that was currant in the Dark ;
Nay, her very looks were fuell to enflame a Puny- Clark.
Besides she had a vast estate beyond the Seas,
Which his young Lordship may find out e'ne where he please.
He could strut like Crow in Gutter, or like Ape in Pantaloon,
And had wit enough to stutter Complements beyond the Moon ;
He was Lord, and she teas Priucesse, for a space,
But he had quickly lost his Honour, s'hee her Grace.
Xe're was such a sal Indenture by unhappy Scribe ingrost,
Who to Colen sent Adventure, but we hear the Ship is lost ;
For at Church light Barllemew he played the Cokes,
Married, went to bed, and did like other folkes.
3Tfje Scccrno ^part, To the same Tune.
Both grew big with Expectation, his rich hopes did spread their sale;
Till he heard a sad relation, a strange Canterbury Tale,
That he had espous'd a Cheat, a mere Trapan,
Which made the Bridegroom sigh and stink, like Alderman.
Then ("through Father Carletorts fury) shee to Newgate was preferr'd,
Where by honour'd Court & Iury both her Charge & Crime was heard,
But she, by her ingenious Plea, scap'd Hang -mart's hands,
Being Mistresse of more languages than she tvas of Bands.
Think ye, Sirs, was't not a bold one, of a Canterbury Lasse,
Thus to over-reach the old one, and to prove the Derill an Asse ? —
But {mean while) how did the poor Scrivener play the Peast,
Who ivas but lately in conceit a Duke at least ?
Farewell, Princesse, Lord and Foot-boys; farewell Coach and
Flanders Horse ;
Jack and Gill must now go to 't, boys, either work, or else doe worse ;
And with their Scribling trade begin the World agen :
For she has got nought but an Inkhorn, he a Pen.
Jim's. London, Printed for S.B. 1663.
[White -letter. No woodcut. Date, as above, 1G63. Compare pp. 63, 228.]
231
[Pepys Collection, V. 156 ; Jersey, I. 31 ; C. 22. e. 2, fol. 31.]
an anstoet to Onconstant COiUtam.
)r, Wnz $oung=man's Kcsolutton to pag t^e ^ounfl Hasscs in
tfjeir oton dTom. [See pp. 200, 228.]
Tune is, Sere I love, there I love. Licensed according to Order.
8
I Am a brisk Batchelor, airy and young,
Who courts the young Maids with a flatt'ring tongue ;
I kiss and I squeeze them agen and agen,
And vow I will Marry, but I know not when.
There's Bridget and Susan, young Nancy and Nell,
To each of these Lasses fine stories I tell ;
Soft kisses I give them, a hundred and ten,
And vow I will Marry, but I know not ivhen.
Sometimes to the Tavern with Betty I go,
And like a true Lover much kindness I show ;
I kiss, nay I hugg, and I cuddle her then,
And vow I will Marry, but I know not when.
Sometimes a young Widow I happen to meet,
I tell her with smiles that her joys I'le compleat,
If she has much Treasure, I'le to woo now and then ; [scarcely legible.
And vow I will Marry, bid I know not when. 16
So long as she lin[k]s me with Silver and Gold,
A thousand sweet Charms in her eyes I behold ;
I kiss and I hugg, and make much of her then,
And vow I will Marry, but I know not when.
So soon as her Treasure begins to decay,
I think it high time to be packing away,
Now if she calls after me, I answer then,
That we ivill be Marry'd, but I know not when. 24
Last week I did walk to the Royal Exchange,
And there amongst Ladies my fancy did range,
I singled out one, and I promis'd her then,
That we would be Marry'd, but I know not when.
232 An Answer to ' Uncomtant William.'
Lac'd Cravats and Ruffles as presents she gave,
To deck her young Lover both gallant and brave ;
With large protestations I prorais'd her then,
That we would be Marry1 d, but I know not when. 32
She came to my Chamber one night and no more,
I taught her a Dance which she ne'r knew before ;
Now this being ended, I promis'd her then,
That we would be Marnfd, but I know not when.
1 scorn the lewd Harlots that trade up and down,
To pick up a Living all over the Town ;
I have pretty Lasses full threescore and ten,
To whom I vow'd Marriage, but I know not when. 40
To sixteen young Chamber-maids love I express,
Who goes in their Towers, that delicate dress ;
Love-Letters and Sonnets to them I do pen,
And sivear I will Marry, but I know not when.
There's twenty young Nursery-maids in the Strand,
Who every minute are at my command ;
But here I live merrily, telling 'em then,
That I will be Marry' d, but I know not when. 48
Each pritty fae'd Creature, it's very well known,
Will think her self blest to have [m]e of her own, [text ' one.'
At which, in saluting, I answer' d 'em then,
That ice will be Marry 'd, but I know not when.
Sometimes from the City of London I ride,
Through many fair Counties to seek me a Bride ;
The Country pritty Girls I cuddle then,
And swear I 'will Marry, but I know not when. 56
If any one has a desire to know
What may be the reason I baffle them so,
Young W omen are seven times falser than Men ;
Therefore I will Marry, but I know not when.
I once lov'd a Damsel as dear as my life,
I wood her, and thought to have made her my Wife ;
But she prov'd a Wanton to all sorts of Men,
Therefore I will Marry, but I know not when. 64
Printed for C. Bates, next door to the Crown Tavern in West- Smith-field.
[Black-letter. Two woodcuts: 1st, on p. 231; 2nd, girl, p. 196 r. Date, c. 1685.]
Wi
E\)t Kortfjcrn ©ittrj of &0I0 ano &ato.
E give not only Tom D'Urfey's original Cold and Raw (see pp. 210, 211),
but also the Second, Third, and Fourth Parts, now first re-collected.
To the same tune named Cold and Raw was sung a libellous ballad (Roxb.
Coll., II. 282, uureprinted), "The Lusty Fryer of Flanders, how in a Nunnery
at the City of Gaunt [Ghent], this Fryer got thirty nuns with child in three
Aveeks time, and afterwards made his escape." It was printed for J. Blare, dated
lti88 [168-g-], nine stanazas, an anti-Romanist calumny, issued by Revolutionists :
" Not long ago from hence I went to travel into Flanders,
To learn the art of war, was sent under those great Commanders ;
At Gaunt I saw a pleasant fun, as you shall hear hereafter,
Betwixt a Fryar and a Nun. may well deserve your laughter."
233
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 374; Euing, 258; Douce, II. 168, III. 70.]
Ct)e JI2ortt)ern SDtttp ;
Ox,
%f)t £>cotcg=man £>ut=tmttc& lip tge Coumrp SDamgc^
To an excellent New Scotch Tune, of Cold and Raw the North did
bloiv, etc. A Song much in Request at Court. [See p. 232.]
This may be Printed. R[ich]. P[ocock].
COld and Raw the North did blow, bleak in the morning early ;
All the trees were hid with snow, cover'd with winter fearly :
As I came riding o'er the slough, I met with a Farmer's Daughter ;
Rosie cheeks, and bonny brow, geud faith, made my mouth to water.
Down I vail'd my bonnet low, meaning to show my breeding,
She return'd a graceful bow, her visage far exceeding :
I ask'd her where she went so soon, and long'd to begin a parley ;
She told me to the next market-town, a purpose to sell her Barley.
" In this purse, sweet soul ! " said I, " twenty pound lies fairly,
Seek no farther one to buy, for 1'se take all thy Burley :
Twenty more shall purchase delight, thy person I love so dearly,
If thou wilt lig by me all night, and gang home in the morning early."
" If forty pound would buy the Globe, this thing I'de not do, Sir ;
Or were my friends as poor as Job, I'd never raise 'em so, Sir:
For shou'd you prove to-night my friend, we'se get a young kid together,
And you'd begone e'r nine months end, & where shall I find the Father?
" Pray what would my parents say, if I should be so silly,
To give my Maidenhead away, and lose my true love Billy ?
Oh this would bring me to disgrace, and therefore I say you nay, Sir ;
And if that you would me embrace, first marry, & then you may, Sir!"
I told her I had wedded been, fourteen years and longer,
Else I'd chuse her for my Queen, and tye the knot yet stronger.
She bid me then no farther roame, but manage my wedlock fairly,
And keep my purse for poor Spouse at home, for some other should
have her Barley.
Then as swift as any roe, she rode away and left me ;
After her I could not go, of joy she quite bereft me :
Thus I my self did disappoint, for she did leave me fairly,
My words knock'd all things out of joint, I lost both the maid & barley.
[By Tom D'Urfey.
Printed for P. Broohsby, J. Beacon, J. Blare, J. Bach.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts. 1st and 2nd are on p. 133 ; 3rd on p. 206 ;
4th, on p. 203. Date, 1685-87. Euing's and Roxb., same Printers; Douce, II.
168, has London, p. by T. Norris ; III. 70, is a Newcastle-upon-Tyne reprint.]
234
Zn 2instoer to CoiD anD iaato ;
©r,
Cgc &>cotcg dDallant ncfecr brmt fitteO tftan Jje toag at a
§>cccmD Sfermng totti) tlje j*armer'0 SDaugJjtm
To the Tune of, Cold and Raw, etc. This may be Printed, R.P.
Riding down a narrow Lane, two or three hours after,
It was my chance to meet again this bonny Farmer's Daughter ;
Although it was both Raw and Cold, I stayed to hold a parley,
And show'd once more my Purse of Gold, when as she had sold her
Barley.
" Love," said I, " pray do not frown, but let us change embraces,
I'le buy thee a new Silken Gown, with ribbons, gloves, and laces :
A ring and bodkin, muff and fan, no Lady shall have neater,
For as I am an honest man, I ne'er see a sweeter Creature."
Then I took her by the hand, and said, " My dearest Jewel,
Why should'st thou thus disputing stand ? 1 prithee be not cruel."
She found my mind was fully bent, to pleasure my fond desire,
Therefore she seemed to consent, but I wish 1 had ne'r come nigh her.
" Sir," said she, " What shall I do, if I commit this Evil,
And yield myself in love to you, I hope you will prove civil :
You talkt of ribbons, gloves and rings, and likewise gold and treasure,
0 let me first enjoy those things, & then you shall use your pleasure."
" Sure thy will shall be obey'd," said I, " my own dear honey."
Then into her lap I laid full forty pound in money :
" "We'll to the Market-Town this day, & straightways end the quarrel,
And deck thee like a Lady gay, in flourishing rich Apparel."
All my gold and silver there to her I did deliver,
On our road we did repair, but coming near a river,
"Whose waters was both deep and wide, such rivers I ne'r see many,
She leapt her mare to the other side, and left me not one poor penny.
Then my heart was sunk full low, with grief and care surrounded,
After her I could not go, for fear of being Drownded :
She turn'd about, and said, " Behold, I am not for your devotion :
But Sir, I thank ye for my Gold, 'twill serve to inlarge my portion."
1 began to stamp and stare, to see what she had acted,
With my hands I tore my hair, like one that was distracted :
" Give me my money ! " then I cry'd, " geud faith, I did but lend it."
But she full last away did ride, and vow'd she did not intend it.
Jim's.
Printed for J. Beacon in Guilt-spur-street, J. Blare on London-Bridge.
[In Black-letter. C. 22, e. 2, 30. Three woodcuts : 1st, on p. 210 ; 2nd in vol.
Lv. p. 344 ; 3rd, the same as already mentioned on p. 85. Date, circa 1686.]
JSute of woodcuts to next ballad (Jersey, I. 263; C. 22, e. 2, 19) is on p. 237.
235
Ci)trti merrp SDtttp of Cold $ iRato ;
H5emg tftc fierce (Encounter bettoeen 7%er tge Plow-man
and tge bottnp >SW, tnijo met toitft jjtm toijen ge toag
at a fait tottfi tge Farmer's HDauggter*
To the same Tttne [of Cold and Raw~]. This may be Printed, E.P.
COld and Raw you can't forget, the Maid that sold the Barley,
Who the Scotch-man did out-wit, one Winter's morning early :
Then listen now and I'le unfold a third and pleasant story,
How he beset her for his Gold, but it prov'd young Roger s glory.
He was riding to a Fair, with Kate his Master's Daughter,
When the Scot did meet them there, but mark what follow'd after :
When as the Scot the Lass espy'd, he ruv'd at her out of measure,
" Give me my purse and gold ! " he cry'd, " you rob'd me of all my
Treasure."
Envy was in Jockey's face, but yet that no way daunts her,
Kate with a most noble grace returns him straight this answer :
" I never stole no purse from you ; could I be so much your Master?
Be gone, and make no more ado, or else I will lay you faster."
Now to Roger she made known how often the \_Scot] did wooe her,
When he met her all alone, in order to undo her : [my honey ?
" Uds-zooks ! " quoth Roger, " did he so, and would he have wrong'd
Then by my faith, before I go, this Cudgel shall pay thy Money."
Jockey he had by his side a true and trusty Rapier,
Therefore with his haughty pride at Roger he did vapour :
Which did his spirits so provoke, that anger and blows encreases,
His Rapier with a bang he broke, that shiver' d in twenty pieces.
Yet stout Roger did not mean of life once to deprive him,
But about the Fair and Green he like a Stag did drive him :
At length he beg'd his pardon there of Katy the Farmer's Daughter,
It was the Sport of all the Fair, there never was greater laughter.
By all men, and women too, stout Roger was commended,
Further still their love to show, the Quarrel being ended,
A Rule was made through all the town, for Roger's sake to be merry,
And drank his health in Liquor brown, nay, likewise in rich Canary.
Then near night they home would ride, and Roan was straight made
Horse and man on e'ry side, as if a Lord and Lady : [ready,
When corning to her Father dear, said they, "he deserves to have her,"
Now ever since that time, we hear, stout Roger is much in favour,
And belov'd at such a rate, by Father, Friends and Mother,
That they vow'd he should have Kate, uds-zooks! above all other;
Because he kept her safe from harm, &fear'd neither wind nor weather,
And now they keep a worthy Farm, where they lovingly live together.
Printed for J\onah~\ Deacon, at the Angel in Guilt-spur-street.
236
[Douce Collection, II. 187. Apparently Unique.]
l&oger'g IRenoton ;
©r,
Cfie jfouttS atiH 3La£t Spcrcp 2Dtttp of Cold and Kaw.
Shewing p?ob) bis bcrtuous WLih, tf)c jFatmcr's Eaurjhtcr, bias fjrj
Ijtm mabe tlje JKotbcr of &bree Bogs at a Bt'rtb. OTitf) an
account of tbc fiCijristcning anb 3obtaI (gossiping, fohich baas much
to thi crcbt't of Roger.
To the Tune of, CWf? «w^ iiW. This may be Printed, R.P.
X> Oger did a letter send of late to London City,
In which these merry lines he pen'd, it is a pleasant Ditty,
Concerning Kate, whom he did wed, how since they have been together,
With three brave Boys she was brought to Bed, and made him a
happy Father.
Roger would salute bis Spouse, then viewing one and t'other,
Bosie Cheeks and bonny brows, they all were like their Mother:
Likewise her pritty sloe-black eyes, and pretty charming features,
But like their Dad between the thighs, most pleasant and smiling
creatures.
Gossips then he did provide, of young men half a dozen,
Jumping Joan and Boll, beside, Susan, stout Roger's Cousin,
This being done, they all did say, both Dolly, Sue and Sarah,
" We will appoint another day, wherein we will all be merry.''
Then upon a merry pin, about some three weeks after,
They came all to a Gossiping to Kate the Parmer's Daughter.
When itoytr he was in his mirth, the Women sweet smiles did send him,
To think of three Boysat a Birth, thej' cou'd not chuse but commendhim.
At this gallant Gossips' Peast, if I am not mistaken,
Porty wives there was at least, who fed on Cock and Bacon,
The Nappy Ale still kept its rounds, and some cou'd tip up a Pottle,
At last the Liquor got into their Crowns, & then they began to Twattle.
Roger's health they straight began, quoth Joan, " Here's to thee,
Neighbour !
Is he not a Lusty Man, and fit for Women's labour? "
" Yes, by my troth ! " another cry'd, " consider the gifts he gave her,
There is but few such men beside, he's worthy of Women's favour."
Bridget then did break her mind, to those all round the Table,
" My Old Man is most unkind, he won't do what he's able.
He's good for nought, but sleep and feed, a sorrowful gray old Badger ;
Ali ! happy should I be indeed, if he was but as brisk as Roger.
Roger's Renoicn : the end of Cold and Rate.' 237
They another health begin, for they were not for going,
Nappy Ale came freely in, and Glasses they were flowing;
For Roger's "Wife & Children three the second good Health now passes,
A good Turn never may have she, that strives to baulk her Glasses.
"When the Gloomy Night drew near, these wives of charming beauty
To their Husbands home did steer, to let them know their duty ;
Save one, who said she was afraid, and therefore would have Kate
Lodge her,
At this full twenty would have stay'd, and all for the sake of Roger.
jfrnis.
Printed for J. Blare, at the Looking- Glass on London-Bridge.
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts: 1st, the couple on p. 103; 2nd, a double
cut, showing the Feast ; with musicians in a gallery aloft, and the christening
in church. 3rd, the little man, p. 206. Date, 1685-88.]
Of the previous Third Part, p. 235, first woodcut is a woman in vol. vi. p. 666 ;
third, a man, in vi. 173 ; fourth, two figures in Bag ford Ballads, p. 174.
Compare the other christening, ' Soger's Delight,' to the same tune, on p. 210.
But our present Eoger is the better man of the two.
*x* This is the triumph of " Roger the Plough-man." We give, on p. 238,
" The Plowman's Reply to the Merry Milkmaid's Delight " (promised on p. 26 ;
its chief woodcut, a maypole, was given on p. 79) ; after it follows, on sheet
sign, r, other good Plow-man ditties, viz., ' The Merry Plow-man and Loving
Milkmaid ; ' ' The Sorrowful Citizen and Couragious Plow-man,' also ' The
Citizen's Vindication against the Downright Countryman,' which is a sequel of
' The Great Boobee.' Moreover, we have found the long- sought ' Plow-man's
Honour made known,' which is ' The Country Maid's Delight.'
Nota Bene. — In vol. vi. pp. 343-5, when reprinting Thomas Lanfiere's ballad of
" The Good-Fellow's Resolution," we needed to identify the tune assigned to it,
named as " The Plowman's Honour made known," which for awhile eluded our
search. We believe that we have now tracked it home, and that it is identical
with "The Country-Maid's Delight; or, The Husband-man's Honour made
known," an apparently unique ballad, to be afterwards given complete, beginning
rOu young Men and Maids that in country doth dwell,
Lend attention, if time spare you can,
I'le sing you a song that will please full well,
In praise of the honest Plow-man.
Then hey for the Plow-man, that's valiant and stout,
I love h im as dear as my life ;
For if e'er I be ived, or lose my maidenhead,
I will be a Husband-man's Wife. (13 other stanzas.)
To the tune of The Souldier's Delight, or The Seaman's Adieu to his Dear.
London, printed for F. Coles, etc. The rhythm does not exactly coincide with
our requisition, but is tolerably near it ; as closely as ballad-writers needed of old.
In the second Naval Group of Ballads we shall meet ' The Seaman's Adieu
to his Dear' (Roxb. Coll., III. 106, beginning, "Come all loyal Lovers that's
faithful and true"), whereof the tune named is 'J will go to Sir Richard' :
possibly the burden of the missing ballad called ' The Soldier's Delight.'
" y<
238
[Lost from Roxburghc Coll., II. 579; Douce, II. 177 vo. Apparently unique.]
€bc ipioto-a&an'is IRcpip to tbc e^crri?
a^ilk ^aitrs Dcligbt.
The Milk-Maid's Humour lie doth well approve,
And for her kind expressions doth her love;
Maintaining still a Country Life to be
The true enjoyment of sweet Liberty:
And how for pleasure, and for profit, they
Do till the ground, aud reap the Corn and Hay.
Tune of, I am a Weaver by my Trade, etc. [See p. 2G.]
I Am a Plow-man brisk and young, and well I like the Milk-Maid's song ;
And since our Humours so well agree, l'le answer her thus lovingly.
A Country Life for to commend, it is the thing that I intend ;
Aud how we young men pass the time, I put it into harmless Uhime : 8
Each morning we do early rise before bright Sol doth gild the Bkyes ,
And to our work our selves betake, before that Sluggards are awake.
We busie and imploy our wits, according as the season fits :
Then iheariully about we trudge, and at our Labor never grudge. 16
Some to the Come, some to the Hay, or to the Plow we take our way :
Aud there we do our selves imploy, in hopes the profit to injoy.
To tend the Cattel in the fields, and see the pleasure Flora yields,
The Ewes aud Lambs do us delight, to bring them to the folds at Night. [' Yews.'
We count our Labor is no pain, each morning we are fresh again,
And in the brisk and open air we to our stations do repair.
"When Night doth bring us home to rest, we feed on that which is the best ;
With wholesome food we satislie our appetites abundantly. 32
Good flesh and lisli we never want, and for all fruits we have no scant,
"What land or water doth afford we ready have upon the board.
Our healthful Bodies we preserve, and for our own Physicians serve ;
Good Kitchen- Physici is the best, to bring us unto quiet Rest. 10
We are not like your puny Cits, who make too bold with dainty hits;
I ut il Diseases them inflame, aud then they do repent with shame.
When leasure time we have to spare, for Recreation we prepare,
For fishing or for fowling we, can take our time and liberty. 48
Then to the boozing Ken we live, our Fowl to roast, and Fish to fry, [Cf. p. 189
Which in good Ale we make to swim, with Cups till'd up unto the brim.
Our Hostess, and her Daughter Nan, doth bid us welcome now and than.
And what we a>k will not deny, because they know a reason why. 56
Upon each Holy-day we meet with Doll and Kate, who kiss most sweet ;
And all the Girles so frank and free, and there we frollick merrily.
Then for the Piper we do call, and bid him play us, Up-Tails all :
Then Jh>/ ;/<> mail, we dance about, and there we keep a revel Rout. 64
The Ploughman's Reply to the Milkmaid's Delight. W)
Por Ben he takes out bouncing Beta, and refer he can do no less
But hare a f risk with Hunting Moll; whilst Z7am«l be doth danoe with Doll,
When we are in <>ur beet array, and walk the fields so fresh and gay i
Willi hand in hand, most lovingly, it. is ;i pleasant sight to
Tin' City and the gaudy Court may envy tins our harmless Sport:
Winch is so innooent and rare tiny never oan with us compare.
Therefore I'm of Hie Milk-maid's mind, mid for her Love, I will lie kind ;
.since we us one tin both agree to cry, ' A Country Life lor me! '
London, Printed lor //'. Thackeray, T. Paeeenger, and //'. Whitwood.
| in Black-letter. Twowoodcuts: one mentioned on p. 88 ; other given on p. 79,
lor ' May-Day Country Mirth,' copied from this broadside. Date, circa 1870-77.]
n
HO
* *
Note on the tune, To thee, to thee, mentioned on |>|>. 225, 227.
An earlier mime for it was Muni,, Boyi 1 it became better known as The Merry
Bappipee, from the ballad so entitled, 'The Merry Bagpipes ' (Eoxhurghe
Collection, II. 363, worde and mueio in Pillt to purge Melancholy, iv. 136, 1710
edition). To show how the tune- no cumo fco lie quoted, Irom the liiiiden, the
first stanza is here given i —
" A Shepherd sat him under a Thorn,
lie puii d out his pipe and began for to play,
II, was on a Midsummer1 e-day in the morn,
Por h ir of that Soly-day,
A ditty he did chant along, goes to the tune of Cater Bordee, [qu. Boree f
And this is the burden of bis song, l If thou wilt pipe, Lad, Vie dance to thee,
To thee, to thee, deny dtrry, to thee, etc."
Bia more stanzas. Popular Mutio, p. 625, gives the tune, The woodcut in the
broadside, representing a Country Bevel in of special merit, to be copied loon.
[ Thin cut of Winter belongs to j). 172; this of Spring t<> ' Cumberland Laddy.']
240
Ballafce tie J!?otre Cemps*
'A Cavalier's Lyric' for William Robert Wilson, Esq., of the British
Museum Library.
(To whom the following Group is Dedicated.)
QING us no more of your doleful Ditties,
Sour, lackadaisical, moping Lays !
Give us a lilting Carol ivhere wit is,
One that may cheer us in darken 'd days.
Call yourselves Poets, claimants of" bays ! —
Evermore droning a dismal tune,
Such as all courage and mirth ouhveighs :
Give us a Lyric of Roses and June !
Sing, if you please, of Italian cities,
Where we of old used to linger and gaze,
Floating in gondola nightly, as fit is,
While Bella-Donna from balcony plays ;
Bold were the hand that dared to raise
Veil meant to shelter her cheek from the moon :
Surely a smile for one moment strays ?
Give us a Lyric of Roses and June !
Sing not of London, where Catchpole or writ is,
Usurers' cobweb each May -fly betrays ;
Fortune is fickle, since nobody pities
Thirsty poor souls, or their reckoning pays.
Hold we the clue to Lifts tangled maze ?
None save the Minstrel can guide men soon
To a Bower of Bliss amid hour is or fays :
Give us a Lyric of Roses and June.
Live your true life in the Midsummer rays,
Prize Love the best, in your manhood's noon ;
He is a fool who sings not or says,
" Give us a Lyric of Roses and June ! "
Ye EDITOR.
iao;rtmrgl)e 25alla&s.
FRONTISPIECE TO PART XXI.
[ (See pp. 32s, 429, 452-)
T N Summer time, when flowers do spring,
-*- And birds sit on each tree,
Let Lords and Knights say what they will,
There's none so merry as we.
There's Will and Moll, with Harry and Doll,
And Tom and bonny Bettie :
Oh ! hcnu they do jei-k it, caper and firk it,
Under the Greenwood-tree !
" Our Musick is a little Pipe.
That can so sweetly play,
We hire Old Hal from Whitsuntide
Till latter Lam??ias-Day.
On Sabbath days and Holy-days.
After Ev'ning-prayer comes he ;
And (Inn do we skip it, caper and trip it,
Under the Grecnxoood-tree I "
— The West Country Delight.
HHIugtrating tge la$t gearg of tlje &tuart&
EDITED,
WITH SPECIAL INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES,
BY
J. WOODFALL EBSWORTH, M.A., Cantab., F.S.A.
Author of ' Karl's Legacy,' 1868, and ' Cavalier Lyrics,' 1888 ;
Editor of four reprinted ' Drolleries ' of the Restoration ;
of 'The Bagford Ballads' and 'Amanda Group of
Bagford Poems ' ; ' The Two Earliest Quartos
of A Midsummer Night's Dream, 1600:'
ETC.
"WITH HIS COPIES OF ORIGINAL WOODCUTS.
Vol VM. part M.
ffiroups of JHcrrg Sbbrntures, TOIIafo*@rcm BallaK Eobe's
Jftiscfjanccs, ^ssra&ateti Complaints, antj <ZTam tljc Caglor.
CHANSONNETTE.
TTTHEN Love was all we cared to k?iow,
'" Little we reck'd of wind or weather.
Hand in hand we roved together
IVhertruer we heard the voices call ;
Fortune the fickle might prove our foe.
Clouding the sky, or blighting the flowers.
Changing gay boivers tofamiue-toiuers;
Yet Love was all —
And Love was ours.
When Love, estranged, no more we know.
Folly it were for us to linger ;
Welcome the sign from Death' s forefinger
Pointing the ?oay 7vhere icicles fall,
Mutely guiding, and bidding us go.
Since Fortune lours, and sweetness sours,
Aro Spring-time sho7vers revive dead flowers :
Still we recall —
4 Love once was ours ! '
J.W.E.
HEKTFORD:
IPrinteu for t&e THallan ^octetp,
BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS.
1891.
E -J
HERTFORD :
PRINTED BY STEPHEN AUSTIN AND SONS.
No. 32.
^tutorial preface to #art $M.
{Richmond). — " Fellows in Arms, and my most loving Friends,
Bruised underneath the yoke of tyranny,
Thus far into the bowels of the land
Have we marched on without impediment ;
And here receive [y]e from our [Molash Priory]
Lines of fair comfort and encouragement. "
— Richard III. Act v. sc. 2.
E now offer to the small circle of subscribing
and paying Members of the Ballad Society
(whose ranks are thinned down by the
remorseless years, and never replenished :
Hinc ilia: lachrymce /) the second instalment
of the Final Volume, which is the Seventh.
Thus far ! There is need of courage and
perseverance, with our diminished forces
and funds, to attain the promised end.
This second portion, of fully two hundred and fifty-six pages,
contains a hundred fresh ballads, many of them from unique
originals, all of rarity ; very few of the best were ever
reprinted before. We may assuredly boast that they, with their
inter-relation and resemblances, their antecedents or sequels,
deserve the attention which we claim for them. Sometimes,
indeed, the portions had been dissevered, unavoidably dispersed
throughout this and preceding volumes ; as were the ballads
themselves, scattered in various private or public ' Collections,'
and never hitherto re-conjoined. It was thus with the many
parts of ' Cupid's Trappan.' But even with so free-handed a
series as those devoted to "Tom the Taylor near the Strand''''
and his fraternity, also his foes masculine or feminine, bipedal
or sesquipedalian (on pp. 464. et seq.), the gathering into one
focus these now- convergent rays of light ought to yield pleasure :
unless the reader be, Malvolio-wise, "sick of self-love, and
taste with a distempered appetite." We claim not for all such
ballads that " our Bear dances to none but the very genteelest
of tunes : ' Water parted' or the 'Minuet in Ariadne' "
The country life, of English peasantry, ploughmen, ditchers,
farmers, millers, and milkmaids, is truthfully displayed here.
We soon dismiss as fantastical the conventional theatre-songs
of sundry impossible Strephons and Chloes, or Chlorises and
viii** " The SJwrt and Simple A?inals of the Poor."
Phillises, who like the Dresden-china shepherdesses are wooed
by Dresden-china shepherds, with their courtly compliments and
a be-ribboned crook in the lot. We come to many a genuine
revelation of rustic labour in these pages. Their monotonous toils
and hardships are neither disguised nor painfully demonstrated.
Poverty and subservience to their employers are accepted
without grudging. When we hear of a ' Nobleman's generous
kindness' (p. 32Q), it holds no harsher comment than the final
line, " But such Noblemen there are but few to be found." In
4 The Ploughman's Praise,' and ' The Merry Ploughman and
Loving Milkmaid,' the realities of happiness are plainly
described, in language that is unforced and pleasing. But the
rogueries of millers, and the rapidity with which country wenches
learn the tricks of the town-rakes, whereby they can either
defend or avenge themselves, are not forgotten. Ballad-writers
delighted to contrast the healthy frankness of village maidens
with the flaunting extravagance of vicious London ' Misses.' But
all was not gold that glisters in either quarter, even among the
Nannies and Cumberland Nellies, when once sly Cupid had
worked his mischief in their hearts. We who learnt the truth,
in modern days, by statistics and by seeing Scotch and English
immorality, in squalid and neglected localities, during the
so-called " agricultural depression," and perhaps worse during
previous years of unforeseeing prosperity (when complaints
were as frequent), need not wonder at any indication of vicious
misconduct sullying the records of the peasantry in Stuart times.
We continue to accumulate these rare and trustworthy ballads,
which form collectively a better library of reference on the
varied life of the lower and the middle classes than can be found
elsewhere. We despise any malignant misconstruction, which
would assign to impure and improper motives the willingness
to study (so far as is possible and convenient) the unmutilated
and adulterated ballads of old time. Where temporarily some
slight modification, or the filling up of blanks in defective copies,
may be necessary (Roxburghe exemplars having suffered rough
usage at the hands of previous possessors, and bad ' mounting'
by ignorant bookbinders), an invariable sign or token of such
Editorial revision, viz. the use of square brackets, restricted to
this service, should disarm criticism. That there had been
coarseness in public taste during the seventeenth century may
be admitted. But it is too often forgotten by Critics that, in
the eighteenth century, this taste became still more gross.
Despite the mask of sanctimonious morality, Society is now
perhaps worse than ever. Here is a lyric on country life,
written 254 years ago, wholly devoid of taint. It is by Thomas
Heywood, in his Ptlopce and Alope, 1637.
**
" // dallies with the innocence of Love, like the old age." ix
[a &cmg of €Qu\xttp ILift*]
" W/"E that have knowne no greater state than this we live in, praise our fate :
* * For Courtly Silkes in cares are spent, when Countrie's russet breeds
content.
The power of Scepters we admire, but Sheep-hookes for our use desire.
Simple and low is our condition, for here with us is no ambition.
We with the Sunne our flockes unfold, whose rising makes their fleeces gold.
Our musick from the birds we borrow ; they bidding us, we them, good-
morrow.
" Our habits are but coarse and plaine, yet they defend from wind and raine,
As warme too, in an equall eye, as those be, stain'd in Scarlet dye.
Those that have plenty, weare (we see) but one at once ; and so doe we.
The Shepheard with his home-spun Lasse as many merry houres doth passe
As Courtiers with, their costly Girles, though richly deckt in gold and pearles ;
And though but plaine, to purpose woo, nay, oft-times with lesse danger too."
Where are the banquetting guests, our Subscribers ? For them
is the new feast spread, and it is by no means a cold Collation.
The chief joint is a ' Group of Merry Adventures,' which
even the irrepressible and ubiquitous ' Young person ' might
peruse without being injured ; although we protest against
all literature being regulated by Vigilance Committees ; all songs
by Paul Pry London County Councillors ; and all draped or
undraped life-studies, Rabelaisian or Calderonic, doomed to
destruction by prurient prudery and a.' British Matron.'
Our stores of merriment were not exhausted, but a fresh
course demanded a change of plates from the chief waiter;
who proffered some bitter herbs and ' Ballads of Love's
Mischances.' After all these, we met a ' Baffled Knight ' and
listened to ' Cumberland Nelly ' or the ' Witty Maid of the
West.' ' Tom the Taylor,' being indiscreet, met his punishment
ingloriously. But frequency of allusion to this tune and subject
forbade his rejection.
The ground being cleared for more important subjects, we
hope to persuade our worthy Oriental Printers, The Messrs.
Stephen Austin and Sons, of Hertford, to resume work
without delay, and enable us to pilot the vessel into its due
harbour. We have more than a hundred ballads still to reprint,
but they are already annotated, and the drawings are prepared.
We shall recommence with two Groups of Historical Ballads,
one set being Before the Revolution ; the other of William and
Mary, chiefly Military. We show their Accession and Coronation,
the war in Flanders, the battles at sea, 1692, the hired adulation
of ' Orange Moll ' and laudation of her ' Charity ' (stolen, as we
prove, from an earlier ballad, celebrating good Queen Maria
Beatrix, certainly printed before 1688); also some of the courtly
mourning for her death, with attempts to demonstrate the jocund
urbanity of Saturnine ' Dutch William,' in ' Royal Recreation,'
x** '' I love a ballad but even too well." — Winter's Tale, iv.
or ' The King and the Forester.' Of the military ditties, four
do justice to the pugnacity and valour of the (not always)
'Gentler' half of creation: The Maiden Warrior, the Woman
Warrior, the Famous Woman Drummer, and the She-Volunteer.
If women are unsexed, it speaks ill for the men's courage.
More varied is the rich ' Group of Historical Persons and
Events,' including ' The Lady Arabella' with other hapless
Stuarts ; Thomas Stukely, two ballads on Richard Whittington,
Marshal Turenne, the Duke of Berwick, and sundry combatants
in the Duello : viz. Sir John Armstrong and Sir Michael
Musgrave ; Sir James Stewart and Sir George Wharton ; Lord
Mohun and Duke Hamilton ; Sir Robert Berwick and Laird
Graham. Of Events, we have Plagues, floods, with a pretty
garland of hanging-verses, devoted to Mrs. Arden of Faversham,
George Barnwell, George Saunders, Luke Hutton, William
Grismond, John Musgrave of Kendal, and even poor ill-used
scapegoat Captain Johnson, who ' assisted ' at a friend's wedding,
in 1690. Curious are the side-lights thrown on Scottish men's
prejudices, their dislike of ' stage-plays,' and jealousy against
infringement of their so-called Caledonian ' Rights.'
We come next to a valuable Religious Group. A few of
these are on the Life and Miracles of our Lord, seven Christmas
Carols, and a sufficiency of Godly Guides, Lessons, Letters, and
Looking-glasses for any number of Christian Families. There are
sorrowful mothers and pious daughters, young men's repentance
and old men's complaints or exhortations; wonderful prophecies,
dreams, Warning-pieces to Lewd Livers out of order ; Alarums to
drowsy sinners in distress, Godly maids of Leicester, and Kentish
Miracles or Wonders, shown to pious widows. These have the
Puritanic bias in theology of the seventeenth-century populace.
We escape again to sea, in a ' Second ' and ' Third Group
of Naval Ballads.' Here are choice rations and grog galore.
Blue Peter flies aloft, but no other blue ribbon is in demand.
Seamen's Renown. Folly, Delight, Constancy, Love and Loyalty,
Departure, and Return to their loving Landladies, unhappy
voyages, shipwrecks, pirates and privateers, not forgetting
gallant sea-fights at Carthagena, 1 74.1 , and elsewhere; these
are all in the forthcoming Peep-Show, awaiting the pulling of
the string, on the pouring in of the guineas. Be in time!
Of the few remaining ' Political Ditties ' we need give no
preliminary list. Some are of 1651, 1658, and of 1660; others
of 17 1 1, and some so late as the Stuart Rising of 1745.
Romantic Tales and Love-entanglements are not quite
exhausted; but the stock runs low. Nine Robin Hood Ballads
are once more grouped together. Some ' Female Ramblers ' are
gathered into a ' Gaol-Delivery' by themselves, to be treated as
the Court in its mercy may think fit, with or without " knocking."
"One morn I miss'd him on the ' custom' d hill." xi**
(See the account by Tom Brown in our Amanda Group, already
printed.) The remainder, exclusive of the nine ' Sempill
Ballads,' temp. 1 565-1 570, are miscellaneous.
Such is the varied programme of our coining entertainment.
When his work is completed — if haply the Editor survive to see it
through its GENERAL INDEX and the COMBINATION
O
BALLAD-INDEX of the whole seven volumes, doubling its
usefulness — many opulent persons and committee-men, who
gave no helping-hand, will be ready enough to purchase the
finished achievement, an unrivalled collection. It will ' go ^up
in the market,' and be sought for as a standard book. To their
scandal, English civic librarians, boards of management, have
never done anything to secure it from being frustrated and
abortive. Much they cared ! In our noble enemy France (for
enemy she has become), such a work as ours, which illustrates
fully the past history of the people, would have gained a
governmental subsidy. But this reward never greets the studious
labourer in England, denied a generous ' endowment of research,'
all being subordinated to party-strife and party-greed. So be it.
Single-handedly we have done nearly all the labour for many
years, unhired and unrewarded. Better for us to know that it
shall continue to go on thus to the end ; if only that end be the
success we desired to make it. To the few surviving members
of the original ' Ballad Society,' who have been faithful helpers
and sustainers of the cost of printing by their subscriptions
(all they are asked to do), we offer thanks before the vessel
enters into Port and we are no longer needed at the Helm.
J/TT'HEN the time comes we must go !
** Who would care to sit the fire oat?
Here's a health to friends 7ve know,
And here's a frown to sneaking foe ;
Let whatever tvinds may bloiv,
Speed we hence to join the Higher Rout.
Somewhere, doubtless, must aivait
Fit companions, loved and trusty,
Who have braved the storms of Fate,
Scorning to despond or prate :
There foregather we, soon or late,
Ere our lives on Earth grow rusty.
J. WOODFALL EBSWORTH.
Molash Priory, Ashford, Kent.
2ND September, 1891.
SD&cntia for Ipart €tocntp:£Dnc.
I70R p. 296, tin- rut i>t a Ropemaker is Riven opposite, on '' ntents, p, \iii**.
Belongs to L. White's ' Bad Bnsband's Experience ' ■ "All you thai are oounfa >1
<o,,>il li'llows tn In-." 'I'uiir, Many Pounds uml Crowns I have sptnt. Of. \i 848.
For ]>. .'Ml, the Circlet of Dancert forms the present Frontispiece, p. iv**.
P. 3«.»;i, line L2, read "haunts the*," not tlnm.
()n pp. 466, -181, was mentioned the tone of, / low you man and more took
day. This is the first line of a ballad, printed with three stavet oi io for
C. Bates, next the Crown Tavern, in West SmithJUld, eiroa 1890. Title i>,
•The Constanl Lover's Lamentation; or, Faithful Hephoetion's Love to False
ia. 1;< milt a New Bong much in request at Court. 'I'" a oevi Tune.'
(Pepys Coll., Y. 299, unique). This ' Ni ^ Bong ' furnished tin motiv : —
Clic paeoionnrc Lourv.
Love thee nunc ami more each day, fairest of earthly oreatun
In Temples I forge! to pray, by gazing on thj features.
' 'hy face does my Free-will oontroul ; in thee [*ve Preservation,
Take pity, then, ami gave thy Dear, have pity then,
And savi In r from relation.
Eeav'ngaveto Man in Paradise hi thai were uncommon ;
Hut all wi re Trifles to the l«li-s of soul-delighting Woman.
Love mi' ! whate'i r may he my Doom, 'tis thee 1 am pursuing
Love me! or else I ai idone, lam undone,
Oh h.ii ' ni- ahw I'm iiiin'il.
'in tin game p. 481 is mentioned another tune, The Guinea wins im-. it
belonged to a broadside ballad, in white-letter, eired 1694, Ave itanzas, 'An
excellent Nen Bong, called The [ntreaguesoi Love; or, One Worth a Thousand.
'I'u a pleasant new Turn ' One edition (Pepys ('nil., \. 215 wai printed for
who published 'The London Libertine,'
tin- -aim- tum- : another edition Jersey, III. printedfoi Charles Burnet,
./. Seienet in the Great Old /;<iri,,/, win. published 'The London Libertine,1 t'>
CIic Guinea LUim loci.
HOw happy are we, when we meet with a Beauty,
Thai i- charming ami free, ami knows more than her Dntj :
Women they were made for nun [ to tame], the Gods above allow tin ame,
But tiii- cunning Creature will not yield to Nature,
Nor will let you [win suit], unless you court hex to '<,
.\nil give hi i gold to bi
Hut you yon mil t i a for to in- true.
■ when thi her, -In'- at your Devotion,
Shell freel] !• t you an. Sir, ami meet you in tin- motion :
I then, if you behold her eyi , how they roll when at the port ne[ti
im n- tin- white, ami then -In- hut- them quite,
Ami tin n with ail in r might the eemi bei lips to bite,
Ami swears you're bei delight :
Such jo uev( i i. It tin- like before ■ . .
Hut where*! the Charming Beauty, that con taut is, ami loyal,
That loves ami mil hi tin, t' ye, when put to the tryalP
Although you'll Guineas give bei down, yet ibe no ways can be like the I
in-' II he jut ami true, ami l[ov]e with man- hut \,,u ;
While the jiltin Ls next door] let you and th mom
I .:• i 0*( i ami -
Ai re. JFiiu's.
[T/iis Rope-Maker belongs to p. 296.]
CONTENTS OF TART XXI.
(Being the Second portion of Final Volume, Seren.)
PAGE
l'nhule on Tifh'-pnqc : A Chansonnette v '''""'
Editorial Preface to Pari XXL vii**
A Son-- ot Country Life, 1637 ix**
" When the time conns, ice must go." xi*H:
The Passionate Lover : " I love thee more and more " . . xii**
The Guinea Wins Her: " How happy are we" . . . Jbid
3 Croup of fttcinj xlbucntuvcs (Bed. to W R. Wilson, Esq.) 241
A. Way to Woo a Witty Wench 244
The Maiden's Nay ; or, I love not You. By E. H[ayhurst ?] 247
The West Country Jig ; or, Love in due Season. ^ .... 250
The West Country Wooing ; or, Merry-conceited Couple.
Probably by John Wade ? . . 252
A Serious Discourse between Two Lovers. By John Wade . 255
Predestined Love : "Pastora's Beauties." 266
Tom and Will; or, The Shepherds' Sheep-fold 257
The West Country Dialogue; Aniseed Robin and Jack. . . 200
Downright Wooing, of Country William and Pretty Peggy . 262
A Shepherd fallen in Love ; A Pastoral, 1635 • . . . 265
The Xew Courtier: ' Have at All.' 266
TheTombsin Westminster Abbey. By Edw. or John Phillips 268
The Greal Boobee 273
The Down-right Country-Man ; or, Faithful Dairy-Maid . 276
"Adieu to the Curse of a Country Life!" L681 .... 277
The Citizen's Vindication against the Down-right Country-man 278
The Sorrowful Citizen ; or, the Conragious Plow-man . . . 27;)
XIV** CONTENTS OF PART XXI.
The Londoner's Answer to Down-right Dick of the West . . 282
The Merry Plow-man and Loving Milk-maid 284
Country Girl's Policy ; or, The Cockney Outwitted . . . 286
The Plow- man's Prase, in answer to the Bonny Milk-maid . 288
The Loving Lad and the Coy Lass : Will and Jane .... 289
Women's Just Complaint, against Man's Deceitfulness in Love. 292
The Young Man's Besolution, etc. By J. S., or S. P. . . 295
The Maiden's Beply to the Young Man's Besolution . . . 297
The Lover's Prophecy. Possibly by Tobias Bowne . . . 299
Young Man's Lamentation ; or Love and Loyalty rewarded
with Cruelty 300
The Maid's Answer to the Young Man's Lamentation . . . 301
Play-house Song, the Bonny Grey-eyed Mora, by Tom D'Urfey 302
Pretty Kate of Edinburgh. Original by Tom D'Urfey . . 304
The Scotch Wooing : Jockey of the Lough and Jenny (see p. 348) 305
Merry Wooing of Robin and Joan : The West-Country Lovers 308
The Wedding of Arthur o' Bradley : version of 1656 . . . 314
The Ballad of Arthur of Bradley : version of 1661 .... 317
A Round, 1609 : " Sing with thy mouth, sing with thy heart." 3 1 9
Arthur o'Bradley : Boxburghe broadside version, before 1778 320
Love's Mystery ; or, A Parcel of Clouded "Waggery . . . 322
The Mystery Discovered ; or, Frolic upon Frolic 323
The Merry Bag-pipes : The Pleasant Pastime, etc 326
The Nobleman's Generous Kindness; or, the Country-man, etc. 329
The Knitter's Job; or, The earnest Suitor of Walton Town. 331
The Bachelor's Ballad ; or, A Bemedy against Love. . . . 334
The Maid's Answer to the Bachelor's BaUad ; or, Love
without Bemedy 336
The Country Lover's Conquest in winning a Coy Lass . . . 338
Merry Country Maid's Answer to Country Lover's Conquest. 340
The West-Country Jig ; or, A Trenchmore Galliard. . . . 343
A Meeting : ' ' The Old Coach-road thro' a common of furze.' ' 345
Joan's Sorrowful Lamentation ; or, False-hearted John. . . 346
A Maidenhead Ill-bestowed ; or, Dialogue betwixt Jenny
and Jockey (Incongruous Sequel to p. 305) . ... 348
Jenny, Jenny ; or, the False-hearted Knight and Kind Lass . 350
Some MtIIom=Grrm Ballata 352
Give me the Willow Garland ; or, The Maiden's Fear. By
Laurence Price 353
The Willow Green ; or, The Distressed Lover's Complaint. . 355
The Willow Green turned into White ; or, Young Man's Joy 357
Cupid's Trappan ; or, "Up the Green Forest, etc 359
Bachelor's Fore-cast ; or, Cupid Lnblest : Answer to Cupid's
Trappan 361
Scotch Lad's Moan ; Moggie's Unkindness. By T. D'Urfey . 364
CONTENTS OF PART XXI. XV
,**
PAGE
The Merry Man's Resolution ; or, A London Frolic. By T. J. 366
The Wanton Wife of Castle-Gate ; or, The Boat-man's Delight. 369
Jealous Nanny ; or, False-hearted "Willy Turned True . . . 372
The Forlorn Damsel. Perhaps by John Wade .... 374
"When Beggars do marry, for better, for worse." 1729 . 375
The Knight and the Beggar- Wench 376
The Merchant's Son and the Beggar- Wench of Hull . . . 379
The Forsaken Maid's Frolic ; or, a Farewell to Fond Love . 380
The False Knight Outwitted : A New Song 383
The Disconsolate Nymph : and, The Swain's Answer . . . 385
Dead and Alive : A Ditty out of Gloucestershire. By L. Price 387
" Had she not care enough of her Old Man?" Before 1670 391
Editorial Finale, to l Group of Merry Adventures'* . . 392
£omc Ballaos of SLobe's fHtschanceg .... 393
Editorial Prelude Ibid
Cromlef's Lilt : with Her Reply 396
Another Reply (unauthentic, but Roxburghe) to Cromlet's Lilt 397
The Young Man's Unfortunate Destiny. Possibly by T. Bowne 399
The Frowns of Fate; an Answer to Unfortunate Destiny. Ibid 401
The Westminster Lovers : Thomas and Isabella .... 403
The Lamented Lovers ; or, Grief for the Unhappy Tragedy . 405
The Tormented Lovers : " O Love, if e'er thou'lt ease a Heart " 408
The Ruined Lovers : Being a Rare Narrative, etc 411
Love's Tyranny ; or, Death more welcome than Disdain . . 413
Love's Torments eased by Death ; or, Lovers delay'd grow
Desperate. By Tom D'Urfey 415
A Mournful Carol : Frankin and Cordelius 418
The Woful Complaint and Death of a Forsaken Lover . . 422
Editorial Finale to ' Love's Mischances : The Fleeting Sour 424
Some Complaints of Millers 425
The Witty Maid of the West ; or, the Miller well Thrashed . 426
West-Country Lawyer; or, Witty Maid's Good Fortune . . 428
General aggrarjateo ' Complaints ' 429
The Dying Lover's Complaint 430
The Cuckold's Complaint : or, the Turbulent Wife's Severe
Cruelty 431
The Hen-peckt Cuckold ; or, The Cross-grain'd Wife . . . 432
The Wife's Answer to the Hen-peckt Cuckold's Complaint . 433
The Young Lady's Complaint. By Laurence White . . . 435
The Courteous Knight. 1609 ' . . 437
" Apres ma journee faite." 438
"Eh! qui vous passera le Bois." Ibid.
The Baffled Knight ; or, the Lady's Policy. In Four Parts. 439
Love's Triumph over Bashfulness. Originally by D'Urfey . 442
Love's Power 445
The Loving Chamber-maid ; or, Vindication of a Departed, etc. 447
XVI
**
CONTEXTS OF PART XXI.
PAGE
Love's Chronicle. By Abraham Cowley 449
The Zealous Lover : " Come, prethee Love." 451
The Mistaken Lover: or, the Supposed Ungrateful Creature, etc. 454
Love in a Bush ; or, the Two Loyal Lovers' Joys Completed. 455
The Easter Wedding ; or the Bridegroom's Joy in his Bride . 457
The Hasty Bridegroom : " Come from the Temple." . . . 458
Cumberland Nelly, "There was a Lass in Cumberland." . 463
The Lass of Cumberland. (Another early Version.) . . 464
The Cumberland Laddy. (Imitation of ' Cumberland Lass '.) 465
2Tam the GTaglor @roup . 466
The Trappan'd Taylor ; or, A Warning to all Taylors, etc. . 467
The London Taylor's Misfortune ; or, Cutbeard Harding . . 470
Poor Tom the Taylor ; his Lamentation 472
The Taylor's Lamentation 474
The Country Maiden's Lamentation, for the Loss of her Taylor 475
The Wonder of Wonders : a six-legged Creature .... 477
A Bloody Battle between a Taylor, etc 478
A Dreadful Battle between a Taylor, etc. By John Taylor . 479
The Taylor's Vindication ; an Answer to the Warlike Taylor 480
Oxfordshire Betty, her Letter to Tom the Taylor . . . . 481
" What shall I do to show how much I love her ?" . . 482
The Taylor's Wanton Wife of Wapping , . 483
Touch and Go ; or, The French Taylor Trapann'd .... 485
Lamentation of Seven Journeymen Taylors. (samples) . 487
Editorial Finale to Part XXL ' If the Boor is lock'd.'' . 488
& Srcontj ©roup of Nautical Ballafos .... 489
The Mariner's Delight, with Seven Wives 490
The Maidens of London their brave Adventures 491
Faithful Jemmy and Constant Susan, living at RedrifFe . . 493
The Gallant Seaman's Besolution 495
*** For Announcement of Contents of next Part see Preface.
- 'J WE
241
31 ©roup of fl^errp 2ittoentuves*
DEDICATED TO
WILLIAM ROBERT WILSON, ESQ.,
OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM LIBRARY.
A TRUE FRIEND, OF LONG STANDING; LIKE ALL THAT IS
GOOD, THE DEARER, WHILE TIME ROLLS ON, AND
LIFE GROWS LONELIER.
' ' Give me music, give me rapture,
Youth that's fled can none recapture ;
Not with thought is wisdom bought.
Out on pride and scorn and sadness !
Give me laughter, give me gladness. . . .
" While sweet fancies meet me singing,
While the April blood is springing
In my breast, while a jest
And my youth thou yet must leave me,
Fortune, 'tis not thou can'st grieve me."
— Margaret L. Woods : Gaudeamus.
GROUP of Ballads on Merry Adventures
may fitly lead off the dance in this second-
third of our Final Boiburrjhe Uclume. Rough
practical jokes are unpleasant manifestations
of English humour, especially when they
chance to be directed against ourselves. "We
are told on the highest authority that " a
jest's prosperity lies in the ear of him that
hears it, never in the tongue of him that
makes it " (Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2).
"Walter Shandy, father of the renowned
Tristram, declared that " Everything in this world is big with jest,
and has wit in it, and instruction too — if we can but find it out."
(T.S., torn. v. cap. xxxii.) Corporal Trim acknowledged the
difficulty about jokes to be the knowing how best they may be cut.
Some people would amputate them altogether, in a ' thorough
Reformation ' ; but such irreconcileable Puritans must be debarred
the Court, and forbidden to enter the hallowed precincts of Ballad-
Land. It is a goodly territory, as our editorial map will show, and
we are still content to dwell therein with a jovial company. It
has kept life from becoming wearisome, which is more than can be
said in favour of many articles that are highly priced in the market.
"And your experience makes you sad? 1 had rather have a"
[song] "to make me merry, than experience to make me sad:
and to travel for it too ! "
VOL. VII.
R
242 " Sport, that wrinkled Care derides :
In le meilleur des monies 2)ossibIes the riches, public honours and
adulation of time-servers are equitably withheld from falling to the
lot of ' Good Fellows,' whose contented disposition suffices to make
them happy, without need of such extraneous gewgaws. It would
disturh the balance if the so-called prizes of success were to fall to
their share. Providence knows its own business, better than the
Archbishops and Lord Chancellors, creatures of an hour. So the
fat things of the earth, the wine on the lees, are apportioned
generously to the ill-conditioned grumbling hirelings, who could
not do without them ; while the happier fellows, independent of
present praise or pudding, may possess their souls in peace, and
have the raciest enjoyment of a joke or a ballad as compensation
for lucre relinquished. This is a fairer ' Partition of the Earth '
than Schiller described for us in his poem.
A sense of humour has been rightly claimed as the inalienable
possession of the highest intelligence ; and although a very few of
our true poets, Schiller himself, Dante, Milton, Shelley, and, we
fear it must be added, Tennyson, have so little developed in their
works this subtle element of mirthful enjoyment, even they have
left some fragmentary tokens in evidence that they did not utterly
fail to see the ridiculous aspect of certain events or characters. A
happier blend of the humourist might have made their own lives
brighter, by saving them from exaggeration of sentiment or ferocity
of earnestness. But few reformers or regenerators possess any
balance of judgement. They stare themselves blind at some theo-
retical ideal, and cannot tolerate the unavoidable imperfections of a
world that holds admixture of discordant elements. One turns in
gratitude to the most complete and largely-loving dramatist and
poet ever seen : our Shakespeaee. He alone holds the sceptre of
universal empire. No mere jester, no sentimentalist preacher and
moralist, no wearisome analyst, murdering to dissect and destroying
the machine to investigate its mechanism ; no giddy romancer and
weaver of complex entanglements ; he paints his landscape simply
because it is a necessary background ; he suffuses it with sun-
shine, or with moonbeams and starlight, at his own sweet will; and
lets the air be flooded with melody and the scent of flowers that he
loves : but it is human interest, in the inexhaustible profusion of
his creative genius, that he leads us to behold and understand.
Every variety of high or low, the coarsest clown or rustic, the most
refined and pure enthusiast, finds in him alike a sympathiser and
delineator, supreme and unrivalled.
We pity those literary Eunuchs who cannot enjoy the vast
resources of the comic writers. Fastidious cavillers, for whom
Rabelais is too obscene, and Butler too polemical : they fasten
eagerly on every fault or flaw. Ingoldsby is too uproarious, and
Hood too punningly persistent, Byron too versatile, and Burns too
And Laughter, holding both his sides." — Milton. 243
provincial, to win their suffrages. They have enough knowledge
to make themselves disagreeable, by enabling them to disparage
what they are incapable of enjoying. Such people are requested to
avoid these Roxburghe Ballads. We leave outside, upon the door-
mat, unmitigated offences that cannot be deodorized or cleansed,
devoid alike of mirthfulness and of decency ; but we disclaim the
being prudish or Puritanical. "VVe find room for one outspoken lassie,
' Cumberland Nelly,'' also 'The Londoner's Answer to Downright Dick
of the West ' : as substitutes for the excluded irredeemables. The
old strife between Town and Country finds fresh expression in
several of these merry encounters, when a ' Great Boobee ' from
some rural quagmire comes to meet misadventures in our ' little
Village-on-Thames,' an epitome of the civilized world, with its vices
and its virtues ; while a ' Couragious Citizen ' shows us the other
side of the shield, and speaks manfully in its defence.
Of course there are dialogues between lovers, more or less at
cross-purposes, maidens coy and deceptive, pretending to be un-
willing to yield ; yet certain to resent being taken too quickly at
their word. On the whole, their stories end happily, as all true
love ought to do. Since accidents happen in the best regulated
families, shepherds ' Tom and Will ' are both jilted by their fickle
fair Pastora; in which tale we discern allusions to some Court
intrigue not wholly undecipherable. Sylvan haunts are deserted
by the nymph for the glitter of Whitehall ; but what came of her
ultimately is not revealed, unless it be similar to the Comte de
Gramont's later tale of Miss Warmestre. If we tire of Town-
ladies, we can return to loving Milkmaids, who were always dear
to the ballad-writer. The interchange of saucy remonstrances and
rebukes between Bachelors and Maidens are here at last developed
in full, the companion ditties being brought together after having
been dissevered for more than two centuries. We thus gradually
tell the whole complicated story of ' Cupid's Trappan,' and show
the varying colours of the ' willow green,' sometimes ' turned into
white ' and sometimes 'turned into carnation.'
If we choose to wander into the risky drolleries of the ' Baffled
Knight,' seeing whether a maid knows how to save herself from
an awkward misadventure, putting her persecutor to open shame,
we may remember the series of D'Urfey's ' Cold and Raw ' ballads
(see pp. 233-237), not improbably written as a reminiscence of the
early and widely-spread legend. Here is also the ditty of the
Beggar-wench, who punishes a luckless libertine, by leaving him
to go home on foot, when his horse has escaped him, encumbered
with her bag of broken-victuals. He meets the ridicule of his
friends and the curtain-lectures of his spouse. "There is not only
disgrace and dishonour in that, but an infinite loss ! "
244
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 560 ; Rawlinson, 197; Huth, I. 79.]
[31 toap to WLoo a ZKHtttp OHenct) ;]
A Dialogue between two Lovers, who meeting one day,
The Young-man desired the Maiden to stay ;
The Maid [sh]e was witty her self to defend,
And so they concluded the match in the end.
To A pleasant new Tune, \C(,me, Siveet-heart, and embrace thine own,'] Or,
Musff rove's March. [See Note, p. 246.]
Man.
OMy clearest, do not grieve, for I will prove ever kind ;
Say no more ! thou mayst believe, nothing but death sball
change my mind :
0 then let nothing grieve thee, for I vow thou may'st believe me ;
That I do love thee ; that I do love thee,
Come, Sweetheart, and embrace thine own.
Maid.
0 sweet Sir, I cannot stay, my mistress sent me out in haste,
1 pray you chuse some other place, for so much time I dare not waste,
Lest that my Mistress chide ; then, Sir, what will me betide ?
1 dare not tarry, lest I miscarry ,
Farewell, I must be gone. 1 0
Man.
Turn not thy fair eyes away, neither leave me here in scorn,
To torment me every day, and to leave me quite forlorn ;
For it is a terrible pain, to love and not be lov'd again.
Then take some pitty, then take some pitty,
Sweetheart, for I am thine own.
Maid.
O good Sir, what think you of this, all that glitters is not gold?
You may believe that true it is, that maidens must not be so bold.
Young-men having had their pleasure, leave them to repent at leisure :
Therefore forbear me, Come not near me;
Hands off, for I must be gone. 20
Man.
Thy favour is more sweet to me, far more precious than is gold,
When shall I thy husband be ? prethee, Sweetheart, say and hold :
0 that it were to-morrow, that it might release my sorrow.
Bo not disdain me, do not disdaiti me,
Come kiss, and embrace thine own.
A Way to Woo a Witty Wench : 245
Maid.
If that be all you have to say, I mean to lead a single life,
Home was not builded in a day, nor I so soon am made a AVife.
First I mean to try your breeding, ere I yield to your proceeding :
0 now forbear me, Do not come near me !
Hands off, for I must be gone. 30
2Efte <&ECcmo 4^art, to the same Tune.
Man.
SWeet, think upon the former vow, which I to thee did make,
I have kept it until now, and will ever for thy sake :
Then let not thy unkindness dim thine eyes with too much blindness :
For I do love thee, for I do love thee,
Come, Sweetheart, and embrace thine own.
Maid.
0 good Sir, there's none so blind, as those that may, yet will not see ;
1 know which way you are inclin'd, indeed you are too quick for me.
Hot love is quickly cooled, therefore I will not be fooled.
0 fie, forbear me, Do not come near me !
Hands off, for I must be gone. 40
Man.
I prethee give me leave to touch or to kiss thy milk-white hand,
"Wer't thy lips thou need'st not grutch, for I am at thy command :
0 do thou not disdain me, for thy frowns hath almost slain me ;
So dear I love thee, so dear I love thee,
Come, kiss, and embrace thine own.
Maid.
It is not for a kiss or two which so much I do stand upon,
If that be all you mean to do, take it quickly and be gone ;
For a kiss is but a trifle, yet be sure and do not rifle ;
Lest you undo me, lest you undo me ;
Hands off, for I must be gone. 50
Man.
0 but give me leave to twine both mine arms about thy waste :
And let the[se] pale lips of mine [be] betwixt thy rubies plac't :
Come, Sweetheart, and let's be doing, fie upon this tedious wooing ;
For I do love thee, for I do love thee,
Come, hiss, and embrace thine own.
216 A Dialogue between Two Lovers.
Maid.
0 good Sir, your snapping short is that which makes you look so lean ;
As for your kiss I thank you for't, but now I know not what you mean:
To tear my cloaths in sunder, what's your intention I wonder.
0 fie, forbear me ; do not so fear me ! V fear'=frighten.
Hands off, for I must be gone. 60
Man.
0 Sweetheart, be thou content, for I mean no harm at all,
Thou shalt not need for to repent, for whatsoever shall befall :
Neither thought I to abuse thee, onely kiss and kindly use thee.
What I did by thee, was but to try thee :
Come, Sweetheart, and embrace thine own.
Maid.
Then, sweet Sir, if this be true, which you unto me do say,
I'll be constant unto you ; O that I durst but longer stay !
Come, kiss once again, and spare not, Though my Mistress see, I
care not ;
For I do love thee, no man above thee,
Come, Sweetheart, and embrace thine own. 70
jFinfe.
Printed for F. Coles, T. Fere, J. Wright, and J. Clark.
[In Black-letter. Woodcut, a debased copy of one on p. 148 ; cf. vol. iii. p. 431.
Date, before 1681. We recover the top-line of the title from Rawlinson's.]
* A Note on the Times.
Tbe ' pleasant new tune ' may have been an original, one that afterwards bore
the name of Come, Sweetheart, and embrace thine own. As Musgrove's March
it is not yet identified, unless it be the same (not improbably) as Down Plumpton
Park ; so named from the burden of a ballad called ' The Lamentation of
John Musguove, who was executed at Kendal for robbing the King's
Receiver.' Begins, " To lodge it was my chance of late, at Kendal in the 'Sizes
week ; " and this was sung to the tune of Wharton ; meaning the duel between
Stewart and Wharton. Both ballads will be re-printed in this volume.
Of the several tunes belonging to the following ballads, " a pleasant new Tune "
may be taken literally as one composed expressly for the ballad, but in general
this was only where an original song ' with a playhouse Time ' had been the
foundation of the broadside extended-version. We shall gladly track home and
identify the tune named New Exeter for the ' West-Country Jigg ; or, Love in
due season.' There is another ' West-Country Jigg ; or, A Trenchmore
Galliard' (Roxb. Coll., II. 502; Euing, 385), beginning "Jack's, a naughty
boy, for calling his mother ..ore," and with a burden of Then up with Aley,
Aley, up with Frank so free, In came wan/on Willy, and snuggled them handsomt ly ;
— to a merry Scotch tune, or Up with Aley: which is of value as identifying the
scrap of song in the revival of Sir John Vanbrugh's comedy of "The Provoked
Wife," act iv. scene 2, 1725 {London Stage edition, vol. iii. No. 95).
I
247
[Roxb. Coll., II. 336 ; Pepys, I. 298 ; Jersey, I. 248 ; Rawlinson, 165 vo.]
%\)t fllBattien's J12ap ;
£)r, 3 ILotie not pou*
To A PLEASANT NEW TlJNE [its Own].
Spied a Nymph trip over the plain,
I lur'd to her, she turned again,
I woo'd her as a young man should do ;
But her answer was, " Sir, Hove not you"
I thought she seemed in every part
So lovely fram'd by Nature's Art,
Her beauty soon allured me to wooe ;
But her answer was, " Sir, I love not you." 8
I told her all the sweet of love,
And whatsoever her mind might move,
To entertain a Lover true ;
But her answer was, " Sir, Hove not you."
I told her how I would her deck,
Her head with gold, with pearls her neck ;
She gave a frown, and away she flew,
But her answer was, " Sir, Hove not you." 16
" Not me ! (sweet-heart) 0 tell me why,
Thou should'st my proffered love deny?
To whom my heart I have vowed so true ; "
But her answer was, " Sir, I love not you."
" My sweet and dearest love," quoth I,
" Art thou resolv'd a Maid to die ?
Of such a mind I know but few ; "
But her answer was, " Sir, I love not you." 24
" This is the pleasant Maying- time,
This is the pleasant golden prime,
But age will come, and make you to rue
That e're you said, ' Sir, I love not you.'
" 0 do not thou my suit disdain,
Nor make me spend my time in vain,
But kindly grant a Lover's due: "
Yet still she said, " Sir, Hove not you." 32
" Fair Nymph," quoth I, " but grant me this,
To enrich my lips with one poor kiss."
" I grant you that which I grant but few : "
Yet still she said, "Sir, 1 love not you."
248 The Maiden's Nay ; or, * I love not Yon.'
The young man proffering then to depart
It griev'd this Maiden then to the heart :
For having kist, 0 then did she rue,
That e're she said, " Sir, I love not you?'' 40
Wherefore with speed she thought it best
To stay him by her kind request :
Whose coyness thus hath caus'd her to rue
That e're she said, "Sir, I love not your
But now at last she did begin
With gentle words to lure him in :
The second part shall plainly shew,
She chang'd her note of " / love not you." 48
2The Scconti ^part, to the same Tune.
"Kind sir," quoth she, "what needs this hasl[e] ?"
With that a smile on him she cast ;
Shame curb'd her long, but affection drew
These words, " I love no man but you.
' ' I feel the force of Cupid's dart
So deep hath pierc'd my tender heart :
Believe me then, for my words are true,
You will I love, Sir, and none but you. 56
" Do not deny my proffered love,
Nor think that I the wanton prove :
Though women seldom use to wooe,
Yet I will love, Sir, and none but you.
" When women love, they will it hide,
Until their Lover they have try'd :
Though I say nay, as maidens do,
You will I love, Sir, and none but you. 64
" Here is," quoth she, " my heart and hand,
My constant love thou shalt command ;
And I do vow to be ever true,
You will I love, Sir, and none but you.
" Whilst golden Titan doth display
His beams unto the chearful day,
Whilst Spring the Winter doth ensue,
You will I love, Sir, and none but you. 72
" On thee my love is fixed fast,
On thee my love is firmly plac'd,
For thee l'le bid the world adieu,
You will I love, Sir, and none bat you.
The Maiden's Nay; or, ' I love not You.'
249
" If Hero should Leander leave,
Fair Lucrece Collatine deceive,
Or Syrinx prove to Pan untrue,
Yet I'll love you, Sir, and none but you. 80
" Object no former coy reply,
Suspect no future constancy :
Accept my love as a tribute due
Onely to you, Sir, and to none but you."
The young man noting well her words,
This courteous answer then affords :
" Give me thy hand, take mine in lieu :
My love I grant here, and so do you. 88
" To Church with speed then let us hye,
In marriage bands our selves to tye :
"Where, interchanging hands and hearts,
Fie love thee deerly till death us parts."
Mark well my Song, you Maidens coy,
That count true love a foolish toy :
Do not disdain when young men wooe,
But love them freely as they love you. 96
JFtnfe. [By] R.H.
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, and J. Wriyht. [Pepys, John Wright.']
[In Black-letter. Three woodcuts. 1st and 2nd, singly, as on p. 140 ; 3rd,
original of the same two figures, on one block. Date, circd 1680.]
*** The author of this ballad is not yet identified by his initials : probably
he was Robert May hurst. We find R.K.'s signature to a Welsh translation of
E.D.'s "When Philomel" (see vol. i. p. 57), and to the "Now Robin Hood"
ballad (see vol. ii. p. 432).
J.W.E.
[The man belongs to ' Tom and Will,' p. 258 ; the woman to p. 251.]
250
[Roxb. Coll., II. 506 ; Douce, II. 245 ; Hutli, II. 143 ; Jersey, II. 59.]
%\>t ame0t>eountvp 3Jtcj3 ;
£>r, llotie tn Due Swotn
A longing Maid which had a mind to marry,
Complaining was that she so long should tarry ;
At length a brisk young Lad did chance to spy her,
And liking of her well, resolv'd to try her ;
And courting her, and vowing to be constant,
They there clapt up a bargain in an instant.
To a pleasant New Tune, called, New Exeter. "With Allowance.
WHen Sol with his beams, had gilded the streams,
And nymphs, and young shepherds awakt from their
I heard a sad moan, [dreams ;
In a neighbouring grove, from a voice all alone.
A Languishing Maid, by Cupid betray'd ;
Was sighing, and sobbing, and often she said :
" Love ! cruel to me ;
When shall I be eas'd of my misery ? 8
" Tis known I am Fair, and brisk as the air ;
Not one in a thousand with me can compare ;
Yet ne'r a young-man
Will ease me of sadness, to help me ! that can.
" My time I do spend, yet want I a friend
To rally, and dally, and please me to th' end :
Which makes me to say,
0 Cupid ! great Cupid! I love no delay. 16
" All night in my bed, with cares in my head,
And weeping, and wailing, I wish I were wedd :
And yet no relief
1 find in the morning, for all my sad grief.
" How happy's the birds which mate in the woods?
Enjoying most freely, their Love without words;
Whilst I do complain,
Of Young-men's unkindness and cruel disdain." 24
A Young-man hard by, this Maid did espy ;
Admiring her beauty, he to her did hye :
Quoth he, " Pretty Saint,
It grieves my heart [sore] for to hear your complaint.
Note. —The tune of Neto Exeter, which has a true lilt, is not yet identified.
The Neiv Bath is in Playford's Dancing Master of 1695, p. 120, and in earlier
editions ; but not New Exeter, unless under a different name. Wat it a Hymn-tune t
The Wed- Country Jig ; or, Love in due Season. 251
" What think you of me ? I'm active and free ;
And willing to serve you in every degree :
And by this sweet Kiss,
To proffer my service : it is not amiss." 32
The bonny young Maid was nothing afraid;
But modestly blushing, unto him she said :
" Since you are so free,
If you will be constant, we two may agree."
Quoth he, " Thou shalt find me loyal, and kind,
And ready, and willing, to pleasure thy mind :
Then do you not fear,
But I will be constant, my joy and my dear." 40
This made her rejoice, and with cheerful voice,
Quoth she, " Mine own Dearest, thou shalt be my Choice :
Take heart and take hand,
I always will be at thy will and command."
Then did they retire, with longing desire ;
Expecting, and waiting for quenching love's fire :
And now lives most free,
Although a Quick Bargain was made, as you see. 48
[London : Printed for Philip Brooksby.]
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts: 1st, the Prince Henry, of vi. 66, left; 2nd,
the bathing nymph of p. 249 ; 3rd and 4th, the man and woman standing on
tesselated pavement, under arches, vi. 76. Colophon lost, but supplied from
Huth's, II. 143, of Brooksby' s publishing. Date, probably, soon after 1672.]
[These cuts belong to pp. 152, 181, 253, ««^264.]
252
[Roxburghe Collection, II. 498; Euing, 387 and 388; Jersey, I. 312, II. 20.]
%\)t JKfteSt^Countrp Mooing;
%$z ^frrp^ronccitcti Couple*
In pleasant terms he lets her know his mind,
And fairly wooes her, for to make her kind :
At first she seemed coy to his persuasion,
And put him off, with many a sly evasion :
But finding at the last his love was constant,
Her heart she did resign from that same instant.
Tune of, When Sol will cast no light ; Or, My pritty little Rogue. [See p. 253.]
[The woodcuts are on p. 251.]
" IV/T^ ^°y au^ on^ Dear, come sit down by me ;
JjJL For thou shalt plainly hear, I mean to try thee ;
If thou canst love a Lad, brisk, young and lively,
I'le make thy heart full glad, thou shalt live finely.
" Thy pritty rowling eye, and wa[i]ste so slender,
Thy forehead smooth and high, thy lips so tender,
Hath so ensnar'd my heart, that I must love thee :
Therefore l'le not depart, till pitty move thee." 8
" Alas ! kind Sir," she said, " what hath possest ye,
For to delude a Maid ? be not so hasty !
Your flattering words that past can no ways move me ;
For to repent at last, or yield to love ye.
" We know that young-men can cog, lye, and flatter,
And make vows, now and then, to mend the matter ;
With such slights cunningly they do deceive us,
Bring us to beggary, and then they leave us." 16
2H)E JcccoiVtJ Ipatt, To the same Tune.
" Fear not, my Dear," (quoth he) " that I dissemble,
Or that such false young men I do resemble :
I have both house and land, good gold and riches,
And all at thy command : pray mark my speeches ! "
" Your house and land, perhaps, you think may move me;
But I fear after-claps, if I should love ye :
Therefore, my Maiden-head, I will make much on't,
For ne'rc a false young-man shall have a touch on't." 24
The West-Country Wooing. 253
" 0 stay, my Love ! " he said, " make further tryal,
Be not so resolute in your denial;
Fear not, but you shall find, I will content thee,
And bravely please thy mind, none shall prevent me."
" What pleasure can a Maid find in your dealing,
When you her kindness think not worth concealing ?
Young-men are apt to blab what's done in private ;
And well I understand what 'tis you drive at." 32
" My pretty Rogue," he said, " do not misdoubt me ;
Why should you live a maid, and think I flout ye ?
In my Love, I promise [this], for to persever, lSeeJVote.
And seal it with a kiss, to last for ever."
" If that you love as much as you profess it ;
And that your truth is such as you express it ; "
(Quoth she) " take hand and heart, and use your pleasure,
For I will never part from such a treasure." 40
" 0 how it joyes my mind " (quoth he), " my Jewel,
That thou wilt now be kind, and no more cruel :
Venus, that Goddess, she will smile to know it,
How we in love agree, when we shall shew it."
So, from that happy hour, they were united,
And to a pleasant Bower he her invited,
Where they, with sport and play, kindly imbracing,
There past the time away, Lovers' Joyes tracing. 48
[Probably by John Wade.]
London, Printed for W. Thackeray, T Passenyer, and W. Whitwood.
[In Black-letter. Two woodcuts, given on p. 251. Date, circa 1679-82.]
*** The often-mentioned ballad beginning " When Sol will cast no light."
which gives name to the tune, and is itself entitled ' The Pensive Maid ; or, The
Virgin's Lamentation for the Loss of her Lover,' will follow in the Second Group
of Naval Ballads. The original has already been reprinted (Rnxb. Ballads, iii.
127), 'A Pleasant new Song between a Seaman and his Love,' by Cuthbert
Birket. A different version begins "When Sol did cast no light" (Wood, E.
25, fol. 153; Douce, II. 136, 137): entitled, 'The valiant Seaman's happy
Return to his Love after a long seven years' absence.' The alternative tune-
name for our ' West-Country Wooing ' is ' My pretty little Rogue.'1 This marks
the first line of a ballad by John Wade, and it is here added on p. 254. Its own
alternative tune-name is I am so deep in love (the same tune as Cupid'' s Courtesy,
of 1655, i.e. " Thro' the cool shady woods") : for which see the previous vol. vi.
pp. 252 to 254. Quite distinct, in tune and words, is " I am so sick of Love : "
we give it, for comparison, on p. 300.
In line 35 the stress or emphasis may have been laid on the second syllable of
promise; as also in pers<?7er : therefore without need of interpolating [this'].
254
[Wood's Coll., E. 25, ft. 2, 46 ; Bepys, III. 98 ; Huth, II. 85: C. 22. e. 2, 146.]
a Serious Discourse fcettoeen ttoo Letters*
This Song 'will teach young Men to wooe,
And shew young Maidens what to do ;
Nay, it will learn them to be cunning too.
To the Tune of, When Sol will cast no light ; or, Beep in Love. [See p. 253.]
[Written] By J[ohn] Wade.
Y pretty little Rogue, do hut come hither !
With thee I'le not collogue, if thou'lt consider
"M
The pains for thee I've took, Cupid so wounds me, r— modem slanR
'. 3ut now I'm in the Brook, if thou dost not love me. |_ ' in a hole.'
" I will forsake all my kin, my father and mother
I value not a pin, or any other ;
'Tis only thy sweet face the which doth move me,
And I think thou hast some grace, and thou [wi]lt love me. 8
" Biches I'le promise none, nor no great treasure,
Because I'le do no wrong to thee, my pleasure ;
But all that I e're have, thou shalt command it,
And I'le maintain thee brave, [if] thou'st understand it."
" My word, nor yet my Oath, shall not he broken ;
Then take this sugered Kiss, in sign of Love's token :
My heart is firm and true, then let pitty move thee ;
I'le not seek for a new, if thou'lt but love me. 16
QEfje -Scconu l^art, To the same Tune.
The Maid.
" Good Sir, I thank you fine, for what is spoken,
But all's not gold that shines, and as for your token, [Cf. p. 214.
I shall not it receive though you do prove me,
My joy thou'lt n'er bereave, for I cannot love thee.
" Young men can swear and lie, but who will believe them?
All goodness they defie. and it n'er grieves them,
Only to tempt a Maid by their delusion,
Therefore I am afraid 'twill breed confusion. 24
" A Maid had need beware that doth mean honest,
Lest she falls in a snare when they do promise :
For they will vow and swear they'l never leave you,
But when they know your mind, then they'l deceive you,
" Therefore I will be wise, lest I be taken
In a Fool's Paradise, and then be forsaken.
I'le put no trust in man, to one or other,
Let them do what they can if 't were my brother." 32
John Wade's ' Serious Discourse between Tiro Lovers.' 255
The Man.
" My dear, you do but jest, I may boldly speak it,
Of all I love tbee best, pritbee so take it.
There is no flesh alive ever shall move me ;
If thou wilt be my Wife, I'le dearly love thee.
" Servants on tbee shall tend, and come at thy pleasure,
For I will be thy friend, to bring thee treasure.
What can'st thou wish for more ? then do but prove me,
And thou shalt plainly find how dear I love thee. 40
' ' For means thou shalt not want, if I do gain tbee,
I have good bouse and land, for to maintain thee.
I have good Sheep i' th' field, and Beasts that's proving,
All is at thy command, if thou'lt be loving.
" I'le give thee gold, my dear, I'le give thee money,
Then thou need'st not to fear, I'le be thy honey :
No Lady in the Land ever shall move me,
Thou'st have my heart and hand, if thou'lt but love me." 48
The Maid.
" Tour words are very fair, I much commend you.
Seeing you are so [rare], thus I'le befriend you : [text, ' fair,'
Though at first I was coy, 'twas but to prove thee ;
Yet now I'le be thy joy, and dearly love thee."
The Young Man hearing this, by the band took her,
The bargain seal'd with a kiss, he ne'r forsook her:
But strait to Church they went, things were so carried,
He gave his Love content, when they were Married. 56
Thus all young Maids may find young men are honest,
If they bear the like mind, true to their promise :
But if they falsifie, who can believe them ?
And when they h[av]e lost their loves, then it doth [griev]e them.
Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden Ball, in [ West Smithjield].
[Pepys' exemplar printed for W. Thackeray, Thomas Passinger and Wm. Whit-
wood; another, in Case 22, e. 2, 146, was printed for Thomas Hardy, at the
Horse-shoe, West Smithjield. In Black-letter. One woodcut, as on p. 228,
and a head-border. Date, circa 1681.]
This ' Serious Discourse between two Lovers ' and other valuable innovations
must be held to more than compensate for the delay of such ballads as ' The
Gelding of the Devil' =" A pretty Jest I will you tell" (already reprinted in
Merry Drollery Cnmpleat, p. 200) ; ' Have at a Venture' =" A Country Lad and
Bonny Lass" (tune of Hey boys up go we) ; ' The High-priced Pin-Box ' = " I
have a gallant Pin-Box; " ' The Huntsman's Delight ' = " Come all you young
Maidens; " ' The Ingenious Braggadocia '=" I have a Mare, her colour is white;"
and ' Kentish Dick ; or, The lusty Coachman of Westminster ' = " In Westminster
Town you there may discover." These are fit for the Muck-Dougall.
250
Com ann WiiW toere ^bcpbert) ^>toains.
" Pastorals beauties 'when unblown, ere yet the tender bud did cleave,
To my more early love were known : their fatal power I did perceive.
How often in the dead of night, when all the world lay hush'd in sleep,
Have I thought this my chief delight, to sigh for you, for you to weep.
" Upon my heart, whose leaves of white no letter yet did ever stain,
Fate (whom none can controul) did write ' The fair Pastora here must rei°-n ! '
Her eyes, those darling Suns, shall prove thy Love to be of noblest race ;
Which took its flight so far above all humane things, on her to gaze.
" How can you then a Love despise ? a Love that was iufus'd by you ;
You gave breath to its infant sighs, and all its griefs that did ensue.
The pow'r you have to wound, I feel : how long shall I of that complain ?
Now shew the pow'r you have to heal, and take away the torturing pain."
— Playford's Choyce Ayres, Book iii. 1683.
w,
HOSOEYEP may have been the original of the Lady here
disguised as a Shepherdess Pastora, carried away from her rustic
admirers Tom and Will, to adorn the Court of Charles I. before it
sank from its stately dignity under the pestilential breath of Civil-
War, we may feel certain that there had been some foundation for
gossip, intelligible at the time to those who moved in the backstairs
region among the Dames of Honour. There is a reference to the
Queen, Henrietta Maria. "We conjecture the date was 1642, at
latest. It was printed during the interregnum, in 1656, in Sportive
Wit, p. 112, a book assigned to Milton's nephew, John Phillips: it
brought him into trouble with the Council (some parts being what
are termed ' curious,' or free), like his own Satyr upon Hypocrites.
The song continued popular among our Cavaliers, for it is reprinted in Merry
Drollery Compleat, ii. 149, 1670; Academy of Complements, p. 180, 1670;
Windsor Drollery, p. 61, 1672 ; Pills to Purge Melancholy, p. 130, 1699, 1714 ;
iii. 112, 1719 ; and Roberts's Old Ballads, ii. 179, 172.5. The tune used for it
(Mustek's Handmaid, part ii. 1689), composed by Henry Purcell, -was known
after the sham Popish-Plot as The De'il assist the plotting Whigs (from the
Loyal Song thus beginning, and of date 1684: p. 210 in the Collection of 180
Loyal Songs, 1685, 1694). In Merry Drollery the title is ' Of two Amorous
Swains.' Lines 17-20, 29-32, and 49-52, of the broadsides, are not in the
Drolhries, that is, the half-stanzas beginning respectively "The scorching
flames " ; — " Thus did she handle Tom and Will" ; and " She dealt her favour
equally": but these are not necessarily interpolations or unauthorised, even if
deficient from the privately-circulated manuscripts. The broadside reads lamely
"Yet she was so fair a she, and of so fair behaviour" (instead of which we
adopt the Pills version, " So cunning and so fair was she") ; misprints ' grav'd'
for ' grae'd' in opening stanza; ' less ' for 'loose' in half-line 43; makes
nonsense of half-line 18, by misreading ' then they could not longer smother ' (in
the doubtful stanza), and substitutes weakly ' Tom was handsome' for the earlier
suggestive contrast to Will's sadness, " Tom was toy-some," meaning gamesome.
What a charming Pastoral it is ! with Courtly wit and social
satire. Not the same Pastora, but a namesake, inspired Henry
Purcell to celebrate her in ' Predestined Love : ' our motto.
251
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 104; Pepys, III. 321; Douce, II. 216.]
Com ant} Will;
£)r, %fyt £>gcpBcrti0' §>geep;fol&
Both doated on a beautiful Lass ; both were alike respected ;
Both thought themselves i' th' better case ; both were at last neglected.
To a pleasant new Country Tune. [See Note, p 258.]
nPOm and Will were Shepherd-Swains, who lov'd & liv'd together;
When foir-fWomgrac'd the Plains, alack! why come she thither?
For though they fed two several flocks, they had but one desire :
Pastora's eyes and amber locks set both their hearts on fire.
Tom came of honest gentle race, by Father and by Mother,
Will was noble, but, alas ! he was a younger Brother.
Tom was to[y]some ; Will was sad, no Hunts-man, nor no Fowler ;
Tom was held the proper Lad, but Will the better Bowler.
The scorching flames their hearts did bear, than they could longer
smother ;
Although they knew they Rivals were, they still lov'd one another.
Tom would drink her health, and swear, "This Nation will not want
her ! "
Will could take her by the ear, and with his voice inchant her.
Tom keeps always in her sight, and ne'r forgets his duty ;
Will was witty, and could write s[mooth] Sonnets on her Beauty.
VOL. VII. S
258 Tom and Will: The Shepherd* 8 Sheep-fold.
2Tf)E StccmtJ ^art, to the same tune.
Thus did she handle Tom and Will, who both did dote upon her ;
For graciously she us'd them still, and still preserv'd her honour.
[So cunning and so fair was] she, and of so sweet behaviour,
That Tom thought he, and Will thought he, was chiefly in her favour.
Pastora was a loving Lass, and of a comely feature ;
Divinely good and fair she was, and kind to every creature.
Of favour she was provident, and yet not over-sparing ;
She gave no l[oose] encouragement, yet kept them from despairing.
"Which of these two she loved best, or whether she lov'd either ? —
'Tis thought they'l find it to their cost that she indeed lov'd neither.
She dealt her favour equally, they both were well contented ;
She kept them both from jealousie, not easily prevented.
Tale-telling Fame hath made report, of fair Pastorals beauty ;
Pastora's sent for to the Court, there to perform her duty.
Unto the Court Pastora's gone, it had been no Court without her,
Our Queen 'mongst all her train had none [was] half so fair about her.
Tom hung his dog, and threw away his sheep-crook and his wallet ;
Will burst his Pipes, and curst the day that e're he made a [ballet].
Their nine-pins and their bowls they break, their joys are turn'd to
fears ;
'Tis time for me an end to make : let them go shake their ears !
Jim's.
Printed for F. Coles, in Wine-street, Saffron-hill, near Hatton- Garden.
[In Black-letter, with four cuts : 1st, the ' Judgment of Paris,'' vi. 98, left ; 2nd,
the man of our p. 249, left ; 3rd, the lady, p. 45, left ; 4th, the youth, p. 203.
Date, circa 1642: earliest dated, 1650. Woodcuts on pp. 257, 307, extra.]
*#* As to the ' pleasant new Country Tune ' of this ballad, the later music was
by Henry Purcell. A Sequel to " Tom and Will " has been already reprinted in
our work (vol. iv. 159, viz. a ' farther Narrative of the Popish Plot:' purchased
by Nat. Luttrell, dated March 11, 16fg), beginning, " Hark thee, Will, I'll tell
thee some news." Title is " Tom and Will ; or, News from the Country," etc.
C&c &Oe$t>Countrp Dialogue.
" And thereof came it that the man was mad :
The venom clamours of a jealous woman
Poisons more deadly than a mad dog's tooth."
— The Comedy of Errors, Act v. sc. 1.
T
HE true country life of England in the years preceding the
boasted lie volution reveals itself in the ballads of the West-country,
gathered in this volume. Generally these have a hearty honest
vigour and contentedness ; some occasional coarseness and broad
humour notwithstanding. The maidens are coy at first, but they
The West-Country Dialogue. 259
know how to baffle a seducer and put him to shame. Sometimes
they have a favoured lover of their own, to whom they appeal for
protection, and his stout cudgel is not seldom the medicine which
subdues the evil-doer's vagrant fancies. At other times the maiden's
own virtues prevail so far as to win a victory for her, single-
handedly ; at last (like Richardson's 'Pamela' of later date, but
unlike ' Clarissa Harlowe,') she accepts without demur the proffer
of marriage from the very man who had striven basely to degrade
her by his passion. There are sufficient signs of cunning, if not
also of wantonness, among the less worthy lasses and lads, to suit
our modern realistic novelists, and to banish false glamour, befitting
any Utopian world. Not here, or at any rate not often, do we meet
impossible Shepherdesses or Arcadian swains, as in the earlier lays
of the first Charles's, or as long afterwards in Boucher's adornments
of the alcoves wherein the doomed French noblesse of the ancien
regime trifled amorously. These are no longer the masquerade
rustics of our p. 257, the ' Tom and Will' who loved Pastora ; the
Caddie and Thenot of Spenser's Shepheard's Calendar, 1579. ~No
lingering echoes come to us from Theocritus or Yirgil, and it would
be ' folly desperate folly,'' were we to lament their absence. Our
present group of ballads bears to these poetic ideals the same
relationship that George Morland's pictures bore to Lancret's and
Watteau's. We see the genuine labourers, the ploughmen, millers
and shepherds, with their faults and their amusements ; their
saucy milkmaids and their skittish farmers' daughters : at any
holiday-time ready for a fairing, but on work-a-days they keep
debating the pro and con of matrimony so long as it suits their
purpose. It is no new thing to hear folks declare that of necessity
marriage is a failure. It happened to be so, now and then, even in
the days of the Merry Monarch ; but not often : for a good wife
could always win back an erring husband, or keep him from
straying, if she had both wit and willingness to make the effort.
We fear the wedded life of Aniseed Robin proved to be troubled.
The petulance and violence of his Joany were of evil omen. Jack,
when consulted, knew himself safe from responsibility, and surely
if the marriage came off at all, there were heavy odds against their
winning the flitch of bacon at Duumow.
*#* As to the tune and burden named, 0 folly, desperate folly, we have a small
library of early ballads connected therewith. It was early known as Bragandary
down, Southampton, and The Beating of the brum. Two versions of Will.
Bagnall's Ballad' (properly Bagwell) are preserved by Dr. James Smith and Sir
John Mennis or Menzies in The Muses' Recreation, and Wit Restored of 1656 and
1658 respectively, beginning, "A ballet, a ballet, let every poet," with burden,
0 women, monstrous women, what do you meane to doe ? See our Bagford Ballads,
pp. 429, 430, 434, 528, 923, and Roxb. Bds., v. 252, for mention of several
ballads (one reprinted in Roxb. Bds., iii. 588, " It is reported in the East "), to
the tune of 0 folly, desperate folly .'
W1
260
[Roxourghe Collection, II. 500, 514; Jersey, I. 211 ; Hutli, II. 140.]
Ci)e 2Jftest*Coimtrp analogue :
2L pleasant SDtttu facttorcn Anniseed-Robin tge {gtfller,
ano Dt0 Brother Jack tge ploughman, concerning
Joan, poor Robin's untuno ILouer*
To the Tune of, 0 folly, desperate Folly, etc. Licensed according to Order.
Robin.
'Ell met, my loving Brother Jack,
Mind what I shall say to thee ;
My Mother tells me that I lack
A woman to wait on me :
She tells me I'm big enough now for a Wife,
And therefore must alter my Batchelor's life ;
But I am afraid of care, trouble, and strife :
0 Charges, Family charges, makes me afraid to wed ! 8
Jack.
"lis like you are loath to take a Bride,
Because that the times are hard ;
Pray cast such careful thoughts aside,
And never such things regard :
For if you can live now when ev'ry thing's dear,
Why then, Brother Robin, I'll make it appear,
In times of full plenty much moneys you'l clear :
0 marry, prithee now marry, Joan is a pritty Girl. 1 6
Robin.
I am not sure that honest Joan
Will marry with me, I swear ;
For she to such a height is grown,
That if I by chance come there,
And proffer to kiss her, she'll turn her about,
And then with her fists she'll batter my snout,
Till bloud from the same came trickling out :
0 marry, if I should marry, how will she serve me then?
Jack.
'Tis like you did not compliment,
And give her a kind Embrace ;
But like some clownish Booby went,
With hat hanging o'er your face ;
And it may be, your shoes and your stockings unty'd,
You look'd like a Lover that wanted a Bride ;
For some such like reason she liquor'd your hide,
0 Robin, Anniseed Robin, is it the truth or no? 32
The West- Country Dialogue. 261
Robin.
Believe me as I am a man,
True Breeding I there exprest ;
And, as you know full well I can,
I went in apparel drest.
My Grandfather's hat, and my calves' -leather-cloaths,
Then into her presence I merrily goes,
And made her a Congee right down to my toes ;
Yet Joaney, angry Joaney, kickt me about the room ! 40
Jack.
You shou'd have told her what you had,
To bring a young "Woman to ;
This would have made her heart full glad,
Without any more ado.
With kisses thou should' st have said, " If thou'lt be mine,
Why then all my capons, my turkies, and swine,
And every thing else that I have, should be thine : "
Then Robin, Anniseed- Robin, you would have gairfd her love.
Robin.
I was not wanting to declare,
My Riches to her at large,
And how I was my Father's Heir;
Sure I could maintain a charge !
And told her, that I had a cow, and a calf,
And something likewise that would make her to laugh,
As large, and as long as a Constable's staff:
Yet Joaney, passionate Joaney, kickt me about the floor ! 56
Jack.
Go, try your Fortune once again,
And never be daunted so ;
Her love you may at length obtain,
For Lasses are coy, you know :
But after a while they surrender and yield,
For Love is a thing cannot be conceal'd,
And you may be lord of the conquering field.
Then Robin, tickle her Robin, she will at last be thine ! 64
Robin.
To take your Council I'll not fail,
But to her I'll go once more ;
I'll give her custards, cakes and ale,
Which I did not do before ;
I'll spend a whole Shilling, and when it is done,
If she will not love me, as sure as a gun,
I'll call her young whore, and away I will run :
So leave her, utterly leave her, never come there again ! 11
Printed by P. Brooksby, in Pye-corner.
[Black-letter. Two cuts : 1st on p. 282 ; 2nd, lady of p. 133. Date, circa 1672.]
2G2
[Roxburghe Collection, III. 136. Apparently Unique.]
Ci)e 2DotDn*iRtgl)t JKHooing
£)f Cotltttcp William aitti §10 pvtttp Peggy.
William wooes Peggy, but Peggy's a girl
That will not be wooed by Knight or by Earl.
But William he tells her what means he [may] have,
And that will maintain her both gallant and brave ;
At last she consents for to be his own,
And that to all lovers the same shall be known.
The Tune is, A Fig for France [and Holland too. See pp. 251, 264.]
" f\Ome, prethy Peggy, let's imbrace !
\J Thou art a lusty bouncing Lass,
Thou art thy Mother's onely joy,
And I' me my Father's prittyest Boy.
Let's make a match together, I trow,
Since one another we do know ;
My Father '1 give me a Portion round,
I'me sure 'twill be worth ten good pound. 8
" Sweet Peg, thou'st hear what means I have,
And more to it I mean to save ;
I have ten Sheep, also their lambs.
The which are sucking of their dams :
I've a good bed to laye 's both in,
And a wheel, my dear, for thee to spin :
I've brought old Struck, my mother's Cow, lNote> P- 2G4-
For to milk her thou dost know how. 16
" One thing, my Peggy, I have forgot,
I have indeed a good porridge pot,
Dishes I have some two or three,
And spoons will serve both thee and me :
What I want else I will provide,
So thou'lt consent to be my Bride.
I ne're can sleep, not half the night,
To think of Peggy, my heart's delight." 24
Peggt.
" In faith, Willy, thou dost not jest,
For Lovers I know can take no rest ;
But, William, I fear thou'lt prove a Sot,
The worser then sure will be my lot.
Thou hast such whimsies in thy pate :
I know sometimes you do wooe Kate :
Then you leave her and come to me,
Fye, Will / such doings should not be. 'S'2
The Downvight Wooing of William and Peggy. 263
" Besides your means and your attire
Deserves a wife a great deal higher ;
You'l hit me o' th' teeth when 'tis done,
That you brought all and I brought none.
Therefore I think that it is best,
To leave your suit and let it rest ;
For in faith I cannot fancy thee,
What ever doth become of me I " 40
"William.
" Oh, Peggy, why dost thou say so ?
Thou'lt surely make thy friend thy foe,
Your mocks and jeers I can't abide,
I am plain-dealing, time and tide.
Besides, you do tell me of Kate,
I'de rather thou would break my pate ;
For this same thing I do protest,
Thou art the Girl that I love best. 48
" Therefore, sweet Peggy, be content,
Thou'st have no cause for to repent ;
I'le do what's fitting to be done,
I'le prove to thee a loving Man :
No beauty shall my heart insnare
From her whom I do love so dear,
All this, sweet Peggy, thou'st find true,
« Change not thy old love for a new ! ' " W- p- 08-l 56
Peggy.
" But one thing, Will, I have to say,
And that tell me without delay :
Since you're disposed to be wed,
I doubt i' th' night you'l foul your bed ;
Such a thing I much do fear,
For I a hint of it did hear ;
Therefore, Will, come tell me true,
Or I shall bid you straight adieu." 64
William.
" Surely, Peggy, thou'rt in thy fits,
Or else thou art beside thy wits ;
Dost think I am a man or beast,
That can't lye cleanly in my neast ?
What fool has tickled thee in thy ear ?
The same I pray thee let me hear ;
No, Peg, that thing shall never be,
For I can lye as clean as thee." 72
264 The Downright Wooing of William and Peggy.
Peggy.
" Will, why are you in such a freat,
Or to be a passion great ?
I dream'd the same, I tell to you ;
Sometimes I find that dreams are true.
Then blame me not for saying so,
Tho' love will creep where it cannot go :
Be sure I'le look before I leap,
Least sorrows on me they should heap." 80
William.
" Sorrow, I hope, will not come near
My Love, my joy, my Duck, my Dear :
I'le swear thou art my heart's delight,
I fancy thee both day and night ;
Father and mother ne're shall move
My heart from Peggy, whom I love.
Therefore, sweet Peggy, make no delay,
But let's appoint our wedding day." 88
Peggy.
" Now, Will, thou puts me to a stand,
Yet take my heart, also my hand ;
And for to shun all further strife,
I'le be thy true and loving wife."
"William.
" Now, Peg, thou'st pleased me so well,
That to thy comfort I will tell,
All things fitting we will provide :
Next Thursday thou shalt be my Bride. 96
jFfnis. With Allowance.
Printed for W. Thackeray, living near the Crown- Tavern in Puck-Lane.
[In Black-letter. Four woodcuts : 1st and 2nd are on p. 251 ; 3rd is in vol. iii.,
on p. 613, a man ; 4th, the woman on p. 296 right. Date, circa 1665.]
Note to line 15. ' Struck ' = Struck, = Sullen, or, 'Stricken in years.' A Cow
is said to be Strok when her udder is quite emptied of milk.
*** The original ballad which gave name, probably by its burden, to the tune
so often cited after 1665 and 1673, '■A Fig for France and Holland too,'1 is not
recovered. See vol. iv. pp. 95, 228 and 229. It belonged to the Dutch War.
Another 'Down-right Wooing,' this time of Honest John and Betty, beginuing,
"Well met, my pritty, Betty," is extant (Douce Coll., I. 63; Huth, I. 81 ;
C. 22. e. 2, fol. 113), sung to the tune of Cold and Raw (seep. 233). Several
other ' Wooings ' have been reprinted here, one in vol. iii. p. 408 ; another in
vi. 250 ; two in present vol., p. ix* of Preface and a ' West-Country ' on p. 252.
Others follow, on pp. 306, 308, respectively, viz. ' A Scotch Wooing,' beginning,
"Dear Jockey'1 s gone to the wood;" and 'The Merry Wooing of Robin and
Joan,'' which commences, " O Mother ! Ch' ave been a Batchelor."
265
B
Cbe 3l3eto Courtier.
Y what accident the writer of the Drollery song entitled ' The
New Courtier ' made choice of Henry Lawes' tune, ' Cloris, since
thou art fled aivay,' is undiscovered. Here is the original song : —
% Shepherd fallen fit £00*. & pastoral
(Before 1656. Music composed by Henry Lawes.)
OLOB.IS, now thou art fled away, Amintas' sheep are gone astray,
And all the joyes he took to see, his Lambkins follow after thee.
They'' re gone, they're gone, and he alway sings nothing now but ' Welladay ! '
His Oaten Pipe, that in thy praise was wont to play such roundelayes,
Is thrown away, and not a Swaine dares pipe or sing within this Plaine.
' Tis death for any now to say one word to him but ' Welladay ! '
The May-pole, where thy little feet so roundly did in measure meet,
Is broken down, and no content came near Amintas since you went.
All that e'er I heard him say, was, " Cloris, Cloris, Welladay /"
Upon those banks you us'd to tread, he ever since hath laid his head,
And whisper' d there such pining woe tbat not one blade of grasse will grow.
Oh Cloris, Cloris, come away, and hear Amintas' Welladay."
The embroyder'd scrip he us'd to weare, neglected hangs, so does his haire.
His Crook is broke, Dog howling lyes, while he laments with woful cryes :
" Oh Cloris, Cloris, I decay, and forced to cry Welladay /"
His gray coat and his slops of green, when worn by him, were comely seen ;
His tar-box [now] is thrown away, there's no delight near him must stay,
But cries, " Oh, Cloris, come away ! " Amintas' dying Welladay.
The authorship of this song has heen attributed without proof
to Sir Kobert Aytoun ; but is given to Dr. Henry Hughes, in
connection with the music by Henry Lawes, in Lawes1 Ayres,
Book iii. p. 10, 1669. We use the earlier version of 1656, from
John Phillips's Sportive Wit; or, The Muses' Merriment, p. 15
(wherefrom the sixth stanza is omitted) ; on the following p. 16 is
The Answer, beginning " Cloris, since thou art gone astray, Amyntas
shepherd's fled away." Five stanzas, reprinted by the present
Editor, 1876, in his Appendix to Choice Drollery of 1656, p. 293.
Original ' Cloris and Amyntas ' is also in The Loyal Garland.
1 The New Courtier ' was evidently written in the Restoration
days, when a throng of time-servers pretended to be Cavaliers
and Loyalists, after having been long in alliance with the sectaries,
sharing profits with them by despoiling estates during the usurpa-
tion. ' The Utopian Court ' was a cant name for Whitehall.
[Three woodcuts : 1st, the man of p. 285 ; 2nd, a small figure of a man holding
a bag of money; 3rd, the couple (p. 316) from iii. 419 right. The ballad is
given in the 1682 edition of Wit and Drollery, p. 174, printed for Obadiah
Blagrove, at the Bear, in St. Paul' s- Churchyard. See picture of Cloris, p. 307.
The tune took the name of Have at all : see vol. iv. 118, 120.]
266
[Roxburghe Coll., II. 378 ; Pepys, II. 212, 222 ; Euin<?, 246 ; Douce, II. 162 ;
Huth, II. 37 ; Jersey, I. 295 ; Rawlinson, 206 ; Wood, E. 25, fol. 89.]
Cfte 515eto Courtier.
The Tune is, Chris, since thou art fled away, etc. [See p. 265.]
Upon the Change where Merchants meet,
'Twixt Cornhill and Thredneedle-street;
Where wits of every size are hurl'd,
To treat of all things in the world :
I saw a folded Paper fall,
And upon it, these words were writ, ' Have at all.''
Thought I, if ' Have at All ' it be,
For aught I know, 'tis have at Me !
And (if the consequence be true)
It may as well be ' Have at You ! '
Then listen pray to what I shall
In brief declare, what's written there : Have at all.
Song.
I Am a Courtier, who in sport
Do come from the Utopian Court, [See p. 265.
To whisper softly in your ear
How high we are, and what we were :
To tell you all would be too much,
But here and there a little touch ;
Have at all ! 7
I was, not many years agoe,
In tater'd trim from top to toe :
But now my ruin'd Robes are burn'd,
My rags are all to Ribbons turn'd :
My patches into pieces fall,
I cogg a dye, swagger and lye,
Have at all. 1 4
Upon my Pantelonian pate [Pantaloon-oia Zany.
I wear a Milliner's estate :
But when he duns me at the Court,
I shew him a Protection for 't :
Whilst he doth to protesting fall,
And then I cry, 'Dam me, Sir, you lye,
Have at alV 21
Since Venus shaved off my hair,
A powdrcd Perewig I wear,
Which brings me in the Golden Girls,
Game-royal for Dukes, Lords and Earls ;
When love doth for a cooler call,
My fancy drives, at maids and wives,
Have at all. 28
The New Courtier : Have at All. 207
2Tfte .Secortti Part, to the same Tune.
My lodgings never are at quiet,
Another duns me, for my Diet,
I had of him in 'Fifty-three,
Which I forgot ; so did not he :
I call him ' saucy fellow, sirrah ! '
And draw my sword to run him thorough :
Have at all ! 35
Yet once a friend that sav'd my life,
"Who had a witty wanton "Wife,
I did (in courtesie) requite ;
Made him a Cuckold, and a Knight,
Which makes him mount like Tennis-ball,
Whilst she and I, together cry :
« Have at all /' 42
But yet these Citts are subtile Slaves,
Most of them Wits, and knowing Knaves ;
We get their children, and they do
From us get Lands, and Lordships too;
And 'tis most fit in those affairs
The Lands should go to the right Heirs.
Have at all. 49
A Souldier I directly hate ;
A Cavalier once broke my pate,
With Cane in hand he overcome me,
And took away my Mistress from me :
For I confess I love a Wench,
Be she English, Irish, Butch, or French.
Have at all ! 56
A Souldier's life is not like mine,
I will be plump when he shall pine !
My Projects carry stronger force
Than all his armed Foot and Horse :
What though his Mortar-peeces roar,
My Chimney-peeces shall do more,
Have at all ! 63
Thus I have given you, in short,
A courtier of Utopian Court.
I write not of Beligion,
For (to tell truly) we have none.
If any me to question call,
With pen or sword, ' Hah NaVs the word,
Have at all ! ' 70
Printed for F. Coles, T. Vere, J. Wright, J. Clarke, W. Thackeray, T. Passingcr.
[Black-letter. Sec Note of Cuts on p. 265 : one is on p. 285. Date, 1660-62.]
268
[Roxburge Collection, III. 47C. See Notes, p. 269, and end.]
<&hz ^omb0 tn »0tmtti0tfr 0bbcp. Z# gung bp
Brotj&rc popplttodl in tfy manner of Chanting in a
CatJjtfiraTt
Tune, in imitation of the Old Soldiers. [See p. 272.]
UI&JfcU&^&^XUK%J
**ss!mzsmmm&mssmsss$ssss^
\You must suppose it to be Easter Holy - Day s : At what time Sisly and Doll,
Kate and Peggy, Moll and Nan, are marching to "Westminster, xcith a Leash
of 'Prentices before 'em ; who go rowing themselves along ivith their right arms
to make more haste, and now and then with a greasie Muchender wipe away the
dripping that bastes their foreheads. At the door they meet a crowd q/- Wapping
Seamen, Southwark Broom-men, the Inhabitants of the Bank-side, with a
Butcher or two prick 'd in among them. There awhile they stand gaping for
the Master of the Show, staring upon the suburbs of their dearest delight, just
as they stand gaping upon the painted Cloath before they go into the Poppet-
play. By and by they hear the Bunch of Keys, which rejoyces their hearts
like the sound of the Pancake-bell. For now the Man of Comfort peeps over
the Spikes, and beholding such a learned auditory, opens the Gates of Paradise,
and by that time they are half got into the first Ohappel {for time is very
pretious), he lifts up his Voice among the Tombs, and begins his lurrey in
manner and form following : — ]
HERE lies William of Valence, a rigbt good Earl of Pembroke, [ob.
And this is his monument which you see, I'll swear upon a Book :
He was High Marshall of England, when Henry the Third did reign ;
About five hundred years a-go, but never will be so again.1
Here the Lord [Edward] Talbot lies, the Town of Shrewsbury's Earl ;
Together with his Countess fair (that was a most delicate girl).
The next to him there lieth one, Sir Richard Peckshall hight,
Of whom we [always first] do say he was a Hampshire Knight.
[But now to tell ye more of him, there lies under this stone,
His two Wives, and his Daughters four ; of whom I knew not one. ]
1296.
1 Original text, " But this you may take upon my word, that he'l nere do so again."
Aota Bene. — Square-braeketted words or couplets mark restorations of early text.
The Tombs in Westminster Abbey. 269
Sir Bernard Brockhurst there doth lie, Lord-Chamberlain to Queen Ann,
Queen Ann was Richard the Second's Queen, and he was king of England.
Sir Francis Hollis, the Lady Frances, the same was Suffolk's Dutchess ;
Two children of Edward the Third, lie here in Death's cold clutches.
[This is King Edioard the Third's] brother, of whom our records tell
Nothing of note, nor say they whether he be in Heaven or Hell ;
This same was John of Eldestone, he was no costermonger, \_-=Ellham.
But Comical? s Earl ; and here's one died because she could live no longer :
[The Lady Mohun, Dutchess of York, and Duke of York's wife also,
But Death resolving to cuckold the Duke, made her lie with him here below.
The Lady Ross ! but wot ye well that she in childbed dy'd ; [Elis., 1591.
The Lady Marquess of Winchester lies buried by her side.]
Now think your Penny well spent, good folks, and that you're not beguiPd,
Within this Cup doth lie the Heart of a French Embassador' s Child;
But how the Devil it came to pass,2 on purpose or by chance,
The bowels they lie underneath, but the body is in France.
\_Dol. — " I warrant ye the Pharisees carried it away."]
Here's Oxford Countess, and there also the Lady Burleigh her mother,
And there her daughter, a Countess too, lie close by one another :
These once were bonny Dames, and though there were no Coaches then,
Yet cou'd they jog their tails themselves, or had them jogged by the men.
[Dick. — " Ho, ho, ho ! I warrant ye,
They did as other Women did, hey, Ralph ? "
Ralph.—" Oy, Oy .'"]
But woe is me ! those high-born sinners, that strutted once so stoutly,3
Tho' living they never pray'd at all, yet their statues pray devoutly.
[This is the Dutchess of Somerset, by name the Lady Ann,
Her Lord was Edward the Sixth's Protector, he carried himself like a man !]
Tom. — " I have heard a Ballad of him sung at Ratclif Cross."
Mol. — " I believe we have it at home over our Kitchin Mantle-Tree."
This fair Monument which you see, I'd have you to understand,
It is of a virtuous lady fair who died of a prick in her hand.4
*J* The broadside copy is poor and defective of " The Tombs in "Westminster
Abbey : " the original is attributed to John Phillips, brother of Edward Phillips
(author of ' The Mysteries of Love and Eloquence? and other books), nephews of
Milton. It is shorn of all the prose introduction and interlocutory interruptions
made by the sight-seers, in the manner of Ben Jonson's l Bartholomew -Fair'
citizens, and those who witness ' The Knight of the Burning -Pestle' of Beaumont
and Fletcher. Also, half of its text is omitted. But we here give it in full, and
wish the appointed vergers at the present day were superior to the showman
of the Tombs in 1656. We have heard much worse at Canterbury Cathedral
within the past twenty years. The manner in which these church-show- jobberies
are misconducted and turned to money-getting has long been scandalous. Deans
of Westminster and elsewhere should have amended them. Much they cared !
2 Note.— Original text is, "Nor can I tell how it came to pass."
3 Note. — The early reading is, " But woe is me ! these high-born sinners that
wont to pray so stoutly, Are now laid low, and cause they can't, their Statutes
(sic) pray devoutly." This was bad enough, but the sentiment was too charitable
for a later generation, so the text was altered.
4 Note. — Probably one of Queen Elizabeth's Maids of Honour, the lady whom
Mrs. Jarley's waxwork made known : she used a needle wrongfully on a Sunday.
270 The Tombs in Westminster Abbey.
In this fair monument which you see, adorned with so many pillars,
Doth lie the Countess of Buckingham, and her husband, Sir George Villiers ;
This old Sir George was Grandfather, and the Countess she was Granny,
To the great Duke of Buckingham, who led by the nose King Jamg.5
Sir Robert Eatam, a Scotish Knight, this man was Secretary,
And scribbled compliments for two Queens, Queen Ann and eke Queen Mary ;
[This was the Countess of Lenox, 'yclept the Lady Marget,
King James's grandmother, and yet, 'gainst Death she had no Target.]
This was Queen Mary, Queen of Scots, whom Buchanan doth so bespatter,
She lost her head at Fotheringham, whatever was the matter. \_Fotheringay.
[Dol. — " How came she here then ? "
Will. — " Why, ye silly Oofe, could not she be brought
here after she was dead ? "]
[The Mother of our seventh Henry, this is he that lyeth hard by,
She was the Countess, wot ye well, of Richmond and of Derby.]
Henry the Seventh himself lies here, with his fair Queen beside him,
He was the Founder of this Chapel, Oh ! may no ill betide him :
[Therefore his Monument's in Brass, you'l say that very much is ;
The Duke of Richmond and Lenox, there lieth with his Dutchess.]
[Roger. — " J warrant ye, these were no small Fools in those days ! "]
And here they stand upright in a Press, with their bodies made of Wax ;
A Globe and a Wand in either hand, and their Robes upon their backs.
[Here lies the Duke of Buckingham, and the Dutchess his Wife ;
Him Feltnn stabb'd at Portsmouth Town, and so he lost his life.
[Two children of King James there are, whom Death keeps very chary,
Sophia in the cradle lies, and this is the Lady Mary.]
[Bess. — "Good Woman, pray still your child! it keeps such a
bawling, we can't hear what the man says."
[And this is Queen Elizabeth ! How the Spaniards did infest her :
Here she lies Buried, with Queen Mary, and now she agrees with her Sister.]
To another Chapel now come we (the people follow and chat) :
This is the Lady Cottington {the people cry, ' Who's that ?')
[This is the Lady Frances Sidney, the Countess of Suffolk was she ;
And this the Lord Dudley Varleton is : (and then they look up and see.)]
Sir Tho»i"s Bromley lieth here ; Death wou'd not him reprieve ; [1587.
With his four sons and daughters four, that once were all alive.
The next is Sir James Fullerton, and that is his Lady, I trow,
And that is Sir John Pickering, whom none of you did know.6
That's th' Earl of Bridgewater in the middle, the world ne'r saw a madder,
His Countess fair she lies beside him. And now you go up a ladder.
[King Edward the first, that gallant Blade, lies underneath this stone,
And this is the Chair which he did bring a good while ago from Scone.
[Kate. — " He took more pains than L would ha' done for a hundred such.'''
Kale. — " Gad, L warrant there has been many a Mayden h'ad got i' thai
chair ! "
Tom. — " Gad, and I'le come hether, and try one of these days, an't be but
to get a Prince."
[In this same Chair till now of late our Kings and Queens were Crown'd ;
Under this Chair another Stone doth lie upon the ground.
5 Note. — Original text, " Often fox'd King Jam my : " foxed is, made drunk.
6 Note. — Al. led., " Buckering, with his fine Bedfellow." He died in 1596.
The Tombs in Westminster Abbey. 271
[On that same Stone did Jacob sleep, instead of a down pillow,
And after that, 'twas hither Drought by some good honest Fellow.]
[Dol. — " A Papish, I warrant him."'}
Richard the second lies here entomh'd, with his [first] Queen, Queen Ann.
Edward the third lies here hard by ; [Ah ! there] was a gallant man !
This was [his two-handed Sword,] a blade both true and trusty ; 7
The Frenchmen 's blood was ne'er wiped off, which makes it look so rusty.
[He lies here again, with his Queen Phihp, a Dutch Woman by record,
But that's all one, for now, alass ! his blade's not so long as his Sword.
[King Edward the Confessour lies within this Monument fine.
(" I' me sure,'''' quoth one, " a worse Tomb must serve both me and mine.'")}
Harry the fifth lies here entomb'd with his fair Queen, Queen Elenore,
To our first Edward she was wife, which is more than you knew before ;
[Henry the Third lies there entomb'd, he was Herb-John in Pottage ;
Little he did, but still raign'd on, although his Sons were at age.
[Fifty-six years he raigned King, ere he the Crown would lay by,
Only we praise him because he was Last Builder of this Abbey.
[Here Thomas Cecillies. Who's that ? Why 'tis the Earl of Exeter.
And this his Countess is ; to die, how sorely it perplexed her.
[Dol. — "Ay, ay, I warrant her, Rich folks are as unwilling to die as poor folks."}
[Here Henry Gary Lord Hunsdon rests.
(" What a noise he makes with his name.'1''')
Lord Chamberlain was he unto Queen Elizabeth of great fame.
[Sisly. — " That's she for whom our Bells ring so often, is it not, Mary ? "
Mol. — " Ay, ay, the very same."
[And here one William Colchester lies of a certainty.
An Abbot was he of Westminster, and he that saith No doth lie.
[This is the Bishop of Durham, by Death here layd in fetters ;
Henry the Seventh loved him well, and made him write his Letters.
[Sir Thomas Rut hat, what of him ? Poor Gentleman, not a word.
Only they buried him here ; but now behold that man with a Sword,
[Humphrey de Bohun, who though he were not born with me i' the same Town,
Yet I can "tell he was Earl of Essex, of Hertford, and A orthamplon.
[He was High Constable of England, as History well expresses ;
But now, pretty Maids, be of good chear, we're going up to the Presses.
[(And now the Presses open stand, and ye see them all arow ;
But never no more is said of these than tvhat is writ below.)
[Htnry the Seventh and his fair Queen, Edward the first and his Queen.8
Henry the fifth here stands upright, and his fair Queen was this Queen.
[The noble Prince, Prince Henry, King James's eldest son.
King James, Queen Ann, Queen Elizabeth : and so the chapel's done.]
(Now dotvn the ladder come we again, the man goes first with a Staff,
Perchance one tumbles down two steps, and then the people laugh.)
[This is the great Sir Francis Vere, that] the Spaniard's hide so curried,
Four colonels brave support his Tomb, and here his body's buried.
That statue against the wall with one eye, is Major-General Norris,
He bang'd the [Spaniards'] cruelly, as is affirm'd in stories.
[Dick. — I warrant ye he had two, if he could have but kept 'em."}
i Note. — The broadside reads, for the populace, " This is the sword of John
of Gaunt," and omits the next two couplets; but the sword is accredited to
Edward III. in all the early readings, even so late as The Convivial Songster of
February, 1782, and the mention of Edivard Ill's Queen Philippa proves that
no change of person was intended.
8 Note. — These four lines, nearly repetitive, but allude to the wax- work effigies.
272 The Tombs in Westminster Abbey.
[His six Sons there hard hy him stand, each one was a Commander,
To show he could his Lady serve as well as the Hollander.
[And there doth Sir John Rollis rest,] who was a Major-General
To Sir John Norris, that brave blade, and now you may [go to Dinner] all.
For now the Show is at an end, all things are done and said.
The Citizens pay for their Wives, and the ' Prentices kiss the Maid.
["Written, says "Winstanley, by Edward Phillips, or
by John Phillips, nephews of Milton.]
[No Colophon. In White-letter, with one little woodcut at top, of a tunic -
coated man, a street ballad-singer. Date of early issue was in or before 1656,
at which time it was printed in John Phillips's Sportive Wit ; or, Lusty Drollery,
p. 90. It reappeared frequently in books, but we know of no other broadside
version than the slovenly white-letter reprint in the Roxburghe Collection,
which omits fifty-seven lines, (here enclosed within our square-brackets), and
gives only sixty of the one hundred and seventeen. It is in the 1682 edition of
Wit and Drollery, p. 45, but not in those of 1656 or 1661 ; we find it virtually
unchanged in the Pills to Purge Melancholy, v. 220, with the prose Induction
and the side notes and tune-name, which we transfer to our pages : these being
deficient from the Roxburghe exemplar, a Bow Church-yard catchpenny, for the
use of ballad-singers who pretended to be free-masons. The tune named Old
Souldiers belongs to a spirited early ballad which the present Editor reprinted in
an Appendix to the Westminster Drolleries, ii. 24 ; it is also in Wit and Drollery,
1682, p. 165 ; with music, in Pills, v. 217 ; and Roberts's Old Ballads, iii. 193,
1725. It tells of Drake, Cavendish, Raleigh, of Norrises and Wenmans, thus : —
Of old Souldiers the song you would hear,
And we old Fidlers have forgot who they were ;
But all we remember shall come to your ear,
That we are old Souldiers of the Queen's,
And the Queen's old Souldiers. [18 stanzas.
The tune is the same as that of The old Courtier of the Queen, and the King's
New Courtier (a Roxburghe ballad printed in our vol. vi. pp. 756 to 759). It is
probable that Edward Phillips or his brother John wrote The Old Souldiers also :
Milton's austerity caused his nephews to become Royalists and concoctors of
Drolleries. This is the one solitary good of Puritanical excess : it brings a reaction.
€f>e <$rcat IBoobee.
Gh
TREAT was the popularity of this ballad. Many editions of it were issued,
the earliest before the Civil-Wars began. But of the Sequel, ' The Citizen's
Vindication,' one exemplar alone remains known, and we reprint it on p. 275.
The cut on p. 273 (2nd in Roxb. Coll., II. 228) was earlier used in 'A New
Dialogue between Dick of Kent and Wat the Welshman.' By Laurence Price.
Printed for John Andrews at the White Lyon in the Old Baily ; July 2, 1654.
Used again for " Now would I give my life to see," Monk, (March 28,) 1660.
At the end of second stanza is an allusion to the old style of Horn -Book (of
which a full representation is given as frontispiece to J. 0. Halliwell-Phillipps's
Fugitive Tracts and Chap-Books, Percy Society, 1849. It was printed about
1570, and, beginning with a Cross and the Alphabet, includes the baptismal
formula and the Lord's Prayer. Such a Horn-book is suggestively held aloft by
the Cornuto Cuckold in the woodcut on p. 275.
273
[Roxb. Coll., III. 74, 228 ; Pepys, IV. 232 ; Euing, 124 ; Douce, I. 92 ; III. 35.]
Ci)e (threat Boobee*
To a pleasant New Tune ; or, Sallenger's Round. [Pp. 170, 307.]
MY friend, if you will understand my fortunes what they are,
I once had Cattel, House, and Land, but no w I am never the near ;
My Father left a good estate, as I may tell to thee,
I couz'ned was of all I had, like a great Boohee.
I went to School with a good intent, and for to learn my book,
And all the day I went to play, in it I never did look ;
Full seven years, or very nigh, as I may tell to thee,
I could hardly say my ' Christ- Cross- Roiv,'' like a great Boohee. 8
My father then in all the haste, did set me to the Plow,
And for to lash the horse about, indeed, I knew not how ;
My father took his "Whip in his hand, and soundly lashed me,
He call'd me Fool and Country Clown, and great Boohee.
But I did from my Vather run, for I will plow no more,
Because he had so slashed me, and made my sides so sore;
But I will go to London town, zorae Vashions for to see ;
"When I came there, they call'd me Clown, and great Boohee. 16
But as I went along the street, I carried my Hat in my hand,
And to every one that I did meet, I bravely bus't my hand; \-Kist
Some did laugh, and some did scoff, and some did mock at me,
And some did say I was a Woodcock, and a great Boohee.
VOL. VII. t
274 The Great Boobee, at London Town.
Then did I walk in hast[e] to Paul's, the Steeple for to view,
Because I heard some people say, it should be builded new ; [P. 277.
Then I got up unto the top, the City for to see :
It was so high it made me cry, like a great Boobee. 24
2Tfte Srconti Part. To the Same Tune.
From thence I went to Westminster, and for to see the Tombs,
"Oh," said I, "what a house is here, with an infinite sight of rooms!
Sweetly the Abbey-Bells did ring, it was a fine sight to see,
Methought I was going to Heaven in a string,1 like a great Boobee.
But as I went along the street, the most part of the day,
Many Gallants did I meet, methought they were very gay ;
I blew my nose, and [befoul'd] my hose, some people did me see,
They said I was ' a Beastly Fool, and a great Boobee.'' 32
Next day I through Pye-corner past, the roast-meat on the stall
Invited me to take a taste, my money was but small :
The meat I pickt, the Cook me kickt, as I may tell to thee,
He beat me zore, and made me rore, like a great Boobee.
As I through Smithfield lately walkt, a gallant Lass I met,
Familiarly with me she talkt, which I cannot forget ;
She proffered me a pint of Wine, methought she was wondrous free,
To the Tavern then I went with her, like a great Boobee. 40
She told me we were near of kin, and call'd for Wine good store,
Before the reckoning was brought in, my Cousin prov'd a Whore :
My purse she pickt, and went away, my Cousin cozened me,
The Vintner kickt me out of door, like a great Boobee.
At the Exchange, when T came there, I saw most gallant things,
I thought the pictures living were of all our English Kings ;
I doft my Hat, and made a leg, and kneeled on my knee,
The people laugh t, and call'd me Fool, and great Boobee. ' 48
To Paris- Garden then I went, where there is great resort, [p- 275-
My pleasure was my punishment, I did not like the sport:
The Garden Bull, with his stout horns, on high then tossed me ;
I did bewray my self with fear, like a great Boobee.
The Bear-heard went to save me then, the people flockt about,
I told [all] the Bear-garden-men my guts were almost out ;
They said I stunk most grievously, no man would pitty me,
They call'd me witless Fool and Ass, and great Boobee. 56
1 Going to Heaven in a string was a proverbial expression, meaning, originally,
in a crowd, a concourse of ascending spirits ; but it became early converted into
a jocular term for those criminals who departed this life literally in a string, or
halter, Jack Ketch helping at the ascent and the populace enjoying it. Up a
long ladder, and down a wee tow ! For Westminster Abbey Tombs, see p. 268.
The Great Boobee, at the Little Village on Thames. . 275
Then o're the "Water did I pass, as j'ou shall understand,
I dropt into the Thames, alas ! before I came to land :
The Water-man did help me out, and thus did say to me,
" 'Tis not thy fortune to be drown'd, thou great Boobee ! "
But I have learned so much wit, shall shorten all my cares,
If I can but a Licence get, to play before the Bears ;
'Twill be a gallant place indeed, as I may tell to thee,
Then who dares call me Fool or Ass, or great Boobee ? 64
Printed for F. Coles, in Wine-street, on Saffron-hill, JTatton- Garden.
[In Black-letter. One woodcut, given on p. 7. Original date, before 1641 :
since in the Great Rebellion the Long-Parliament Puritans suppressed Paris-
Garden Bear-baiting, and theatres, by ordinances, 1641-1647.]
Another edition of " The Great Boobee" is in Euing Coll., 124, and Boxb.
Coll., III. 228, with two woodcuts : 1st, the one given in vol. vi. p. 523 ; the
2nd is here on p. 273. London, Printed for R.I. (Probably Richard Janeway,
as it is too late for Richard Jones, who stopped at 1611.)
*** "We add, on p. 278, an important sequel, entitled " The Citizen's Vindi-
cation," although it is not found in the Boxburghe Collection. But as, by the
tune of Hey, Boys, up go we, it appears to belong better to ' The Downright
Country-man' than to the ' Great Boo/we' (which it mentions in title), we add
that ballad also on p. 276. The ' Citizen's Vindication ' has five cuts : 1st, the
single-figure man, iv. 35 ; 2nd, lady, p. 70 ; 3rd, milkmaid, p. 168 ; 4th, man
with burden, vi. 352 ; 5th, couple holding a ring, p. 125. Date, circa 1672-94. j
[This woodcut, mentioned on p. 272, belongs to pp. 164 and 196. The
original was already old when it was used on 20 August, 1642, as frontispiece
of ' The Resolution of the Women of London to the Parliament, wherein they
declare their hot zeale in sending their husbands to the warres.1 A label crosses
the stick, " Go to the Wars."]
276
[Douce Coll., I. 85 verso ; Huth, I. 80 ; Jersey, I. 158 ; C. 22. e. 2. fol. 112.]
tO)e 2Dotonrtgl)t Countryman ;
£)r, tge jtaitljftil SDatrp flpafo
[B]ut mind how Country Lads do boast, whilst Londoners are blam'd,
And Country Lasses praised most, while ours are Wags proclaim' d.
The Tune is, Hey, Boys, up go we; Or, Busie Fame. [Cf. pp. 278, 178.]
I Am a downright Country-man, both faithful [aye] and true,
I'le live and dye so if I can, this I declare to you : \fext,lV
I study as I am at Plow, so shun all false deceit,
And you may plain discover now, / am no London Cheat.
Your London Cheats do go most fine, like Lords in their attire,
To swill their guts with Spanish Wine, it is their hearts' desire :
But it is very common, they do with the Vintners meet,
They'l get o' th' score, then run away, just like a London Cheat.
They oft pretend to be in Love, and ready for to dye,
Yea, vow to be just like the Dove, but know no Constancy ;
Like Villains they the way do play, with every Lass they meet;
They plump them up, then run away, this is a London Cheat. 12
There is not one in Twenty but he wears his Sword by his side,
And walks with many an empty Gut, and ne'r will leave his Piide :
But when his brain is full of Wine, he'l stagger in the street,
And then picks up a Concubine, to \_f~\ox the London Cheat.
Then he for half a Crown will have, that which may make him rue,
A painted [slave] both fine and brave, perhaps the French-man too ;
Tb us he with his unwholsome flesh will be most brisk and sweet,
But see him once out of his dress, he's like a London Cheat.
But London City oft affords Females as bad as Men,
Who though they Hector with their swords, there is not one in ten
But has some pretty little Miss, to serve him at his need,
And every minute lends a Kiss, this is a \_quean~] indeed. 24
They'l vow for ever to be true, to them they do affect,
When Honesty is bid adieu what can you then expect?
No faith or troth is minded, when fools take so little heed,
For who so often cla[s]p their Men, 0 these are -whores indeed.
Let honest men take so much care, that do inhabit London,
Of such false Girls to have a care, for fear they may be undone :
How many hundreds may be spoyl'd, if they do not take heed ;
Thev who are so by Girls beguil'd, do meet with [Jades] indeed.
Why then give me the Country Lass, who honest is and true,
And yet may kiss upon the Grass, but nothing farther do :
She scorneth that her [aimless] deed should any mischief breed,
She takes delight in what is right, and honest is indeed. 36
The Downright Country-man.
i i
See by the colours of their cheeks, they well and wholsome are;
While London Girls look green as Leeks, the Country Girls look fair;
Then old and young, I pray be ware, in Marrying take good heed,
Least you be brought into a snare by cursedJades indeed.
See how the Eose and Lilly fair upon their cheeks do grow,
Mind how their breath perfumes the ayr, wherever they do go ;
And what they touch im[m]ediately fresh odours on them breed :
They patterns are of constancy, rare Country Girls indeed.
Mind but the Girl that milks the Cow, how sweetly she doth sing,
She never knits an angry brow, but welcomes in the Spring,
And then, among the Butter flowers, she trips along the mead,
To pass away the tedious hours, she's fair and Chaste indeed. 48
Printed for P. BrooJcsby, at the Golden-Ball, near the Hospital- Gate,
in JVest-SmithJield.
[In Black-letter. Five woodcuts : 1st and 2nd are in vol. vi. p. 22 ; 3rd and
4tk, in iii. 460 ; 5th, is a lady with fan, on our p. 285. Date, circa 1672-1680.
Same tune and publisher as next ballad.]
Paul's Steeple has been mentioned on p. 274 (line 21 of ' The Great Boobee ') :
it had remained in its dwarfed condition until the Great Fire of 1666, having
been struck by lightning in 1561, and the woodwork consumed down to the square
stone tower. Motley quotes the following : — " Old Saint Paul's was not a very
magnificent edifice, but it was an extremely large one, for it was 720 feet long,
130 broad, and had a massive quadrangular tower 260 feet high. Upon this
tower had stood a timber steeple, rising to a height of 534 feet from the ground,
hut it had been struck by lightning in the year 1561, and consumed to the stone-
work." (Quoted from Emanuel van Meteren's Nederlandsche Historieu, xiii. 243,
in Motley's United Netherlands, vol. i. p. 311.) See also Camden Soc, xxvi.
%* Another spirited defence of country life, of rustic lads and lasses, is added
(extra) on p. 284, ' The Merry Plow-man and Loving Milkmaid.' But the
Town- wits at the same date, circa. 1683, sang to a different tune, as in 'The
Londoner's Answer to Downright Dick of the West ' (pp. 278, 282), and thus : —
" A Dieu to the Curse of a Country Life !
XX Too long I have prov'd it, and found it a thief :
To a soul that would be unconfin'd, brisk and free,
' Tis a cruel and insupportable grief.
" Let Country Sots boast of their empty delights,
The City and Court yet my Fancy invites :
And more pleasure yields than the naked fields,
"Which with nothing but threats the genius affrights.
' ' Then give me the pleasure, Omnipotent Fate,
That now I enjoy, though at ne'er such a rate :
For the dull Country Life, suiting only a Wife,
I much more than old Age and Impotence hate."
— Choyce Ayres, iii. 10, 1681. Music by James Hart,
278
[Douce Collection, I. 45 verso. Apparently Unique.]
Cbe Citizen's Wntucation,
£tpmst tfje Potonn'stlt Countrgman (alias Boobce).
let Eusticks spit their venom still against the Dames of London,
At last they by their folly will for want of wit be undone.
[To the] Tune of Hey, boys, vp go we. [See Note, p. 285.]
WHat silly senseless Country Clown has put this wit in print ?
To abuse the Dames of London Town, though there is nothing in 't :
Only to show his apishness, and prove himself an Ass,
For all men know where e're they go there's none like a London Lass. 4
Yet every Plow-boy now-a-days most sawcily will prate,
And set forth Doll's and Molly's praise, hatcht in his noddle pate :
Through England, Scotland, France, and Spain, or wheresoe're you pass,
You'l rind all Noddys that disdain the gentile London Lass. [sic. 8
See how their Cloathes do fit in print, and mind Joan's draggle-tayle,
See how she like a Puss doth squint, crown'd with her Milking-paile : [p. 168.
Or, if you mind how she doth splay as she goes through the Grass,
You then without all doubt will say, give me the London Lass ! 12
If you but walk to the Exchange, there you may Creatures see,
That to the Bumkins may seem strange, they'r Nature's rarity.
Such in the countries there are none, then blame that simple Ass,
Whose folly needs he must make known, to blame the London Lass. 16
A Citizen an Angel seems that in the Countrey goes,
All men their Company esteems that any breeding knows :
While Tom and Robin stands and stares to see them as they pass ;
For in this Land there's none compares with a brisk London Lass. 20
Besides, the bonny City Lads like Gentlemen do go,
While countrey Bumkins ride on Pads, say nothing but gee ho !
Instead of Leather-bottles, they to th' Tavern post with speed, [Of. vi. 470.
And merrily pass the time away : these are brave boys indeed ! 24
While Citizens in Coaches ride, the Bumkin rides in 's Cart,
And there he sits puffed up with Pride, though he's not worth a f . . .,
And if he to a pudding gets, he Farmer-like doth feed,
While London Lads live by their wits, like Gentlemen indeed. 28
A Whip must serve a Countrey Clown, instead of Belt and Sword,
He whistling passes through the Town, and thinks himself a Lord.
Whilst London boys, when they do meet, full quickly are agreed
To drink a Glass of Wine that's neat : these are brave boys indeed ! 32
Tis true, we have some Cracks i' th' Town, perhaps have had a Beam, [p. 285.
By some lascivious Country clown [who] no danger could discern ;
And then they up to London come, more bastards for to breed,
Perhaps they have deluded some, the worst of men indeed. 36
Match but a Bum[p]kin to a man, or Juggs to London Lasses ;
And then distinguish, if you can, how Londoners surpasses :
The Bustick bore that knows not how for to repeat his Creed,
Knows nothing more than drive the Plow, a gentile Curr indeed ! 40
Printed for P. Brooksby, at the Golden-Ball, in West Smithfield.
[In Black-letter. Five woodcuts : See Note, p. 275. Date, circa 1672-80.]
279
[Roxburghe Coll., II. 430 ; Tepys, III. 254 ; Hutli, II. 90 ; Jersey, I. 68.]
%\)t £>orrotofut €itwn ;
%§t (Courngiou0 plowman.
Mitf) tf}t Mittp an0toa of a Cotmttp SDamogeL
You Citizens I pray beware, that does this story hear :
Dote not too much on Beauty fair, lest this may prove your snare.
To the Tune of, The Country Farmer. [See note, p. 152.]
This may be Printed, R[ichard] P[ocock].
Wm*w
^yWj^^y
^P^
*t83
rPl3
k^^- w/llnvi **^v^Sft ^41/fPj^.
R^M^^T
m
^f v ^53 w.
br^^^SS^-^L
P^^^d
J.W.E.
A Londoner into the Country went,
To visit his tennants, and gather in rent ;
He on a brave gelding did gallantly ride,
With boots and with spurs, and a sword by his side.
Because that the Inn-keepers they will not score,
He lined his pockets with silver good store :
And he wore a Wigg cost three guinnies and more,
His hat was cockt up, Sir, behind and before.
Thus like a great Gallant that was A-la-mode,
Upon his stout gelding he gallopt the road ;
He came to an Inn, Sir, where he did alight,
Eesolviug to rest there, and tarry all night :
280 The Sorroicful Citizen.
There was a fair Damoscl, her name it was Rriss ; [rrisciiia.
The Londoner proffer' d to give her a kiss,
And would fain have been doing the thing you may guess,
But she scornfully said she was "no London Miss." 16
"With eloquent speeches this Gallant did wooe,
And proffer' d her guinnies, but this would not do ;
" I pray you be civil, good Sir ! " she reply'd,
" And tempt me no more, for you must be deny'd :
My credit, I tell you, I never will stain,
And therefore, good Sir, I would have you refrain
To proffer your guinnies, for all is in vain,
1 slight them and you, Sir, with scorn and disdain. 24
" Good Sir, what a rout and a racket you make;
Would Robin the Plow-man was here for your sake !
He will quickly make you to alter your note,
I would not be one that should be in your coat ;
For all your brave alls, you are something too bold,:tc/' P- 26®
My Chastity is not to be bought nor sold ;
I care not a fig for your silver and gold,
I pray you be civil, and let go your hold." 32
'' Why, do you imagine I will be afraid
Of such a coarse coxcombly Country Blade ?
For should he come in, and give me a cross word,
I'le make him to taste of a piece of my sword :
For I am a person of noble degree,
Then prithee, sweet Damsel, be ruled by me ;
He dare not come in, if he chance but to see
That I am a kissing and courting of thee." 40
" Cot-zo ! " quoth the maiden, " pray who have we here ?
Or what is the cause that he should stand in fear ? "
Before that the Maiden could say any more,
Stout Robin himself he came in at the door;
To him the whole story she did declare,
The Londoner being amazed, did stare ;
He would have been hid, but he could not tell where,
For he was catcht napping as Moss catcht his mare.*£See p- 28L
" The point of your sword, Sir, you said I should taste ;
But first, let me tell you, your shoulders I'le baste."
With that, he lent him a sturdy stout stroke,
His sword and his noddle together he broke.
" Tho' I go in leather, and you wear fine close, L-doathea
I will have my True-love in spight of your nose."
And then he laid on, and redoubled his blows;
Ten guinnies to Robin the Plow-man he throws. 56
The Sorrowful Citizen. 281
" Forbear, honest Plow-man, for I do protest,
"What ever I said then, it was but in jest ;
Then prithee, Good-fellow, let's finish this strife,
And take up those guinnies, and pardon my life :
The weight of your blows I do heartily rue ;
Then prithee, sweet Maiden, see what you can do.
Perswade him, and here is five guinnies for you,
To buy you a gown and a petticoat too." 64
She took up the gold, and put it in her purse,
And running to Robin, said she, " It is thus,
He crying for pitty, now lay no more on,
But let it appear you're a merciful man."
Said Robin, " Begone then, and come no more here ! "
Away he packt off, thus the coast he did clear;
[Robin'] sent him away with a flea in his ear —
This Plow-man he lives but in Sommerset-shire. 72
Jims.
[Black-letter: two woodcuts : 1st, the man, on p. 279, Left (lady belongs to p. 184) ;
2nd, the couple on p. 329. Licensed by Richard Pocock. Colophon cut oft'.
Pepysian, printed for /. Blare at the Looking-Glass, on London- 
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